


Caught between Web and Tie

by Pixeltrix13



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adult Harley Keener, Adult Peter Parker, Canon Compliant, Dead Tony Stark, Irondad, Multi, Parent Pepper Potts, Peter Parker as CEO of Stark Industries, Peter Parker centric, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon, Teenage Morgan, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spiderson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-02-10 11:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18659350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixeltrix13/pseuds/Pixeltrix13
Summary: Following Tony Stark’s last wish, Peter Parker takes up the mantle of Stark Industries CEO, however juggling his business life with his superhero alter ego is harder than he thought. Being Spider-Man isn’t his only great power to take responsibility for anymore. How can a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man fill the shoes of a Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist and Earth’s Greatest Defender?





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! This is my first MCU fanfic. I had the idea after seeing Endgame. Rather than writing a Fix-It,  
> I decided to roll with what the canon gave us so far. I guess this Fic canon-compliant? Kudos and of course Comments are welcome! 
> 
> I appreciate all the Feedback I can get! :)

His hand reached over to pull the window shade back up by that time the tiny snowflakes on the pane had already vanished. The plane had left its cruising altitude and was approaching LaGuardia Airport; it was approaching home. A soft smile came across Peter’s face when the significant buildings and landmarks of his home district Queens came into view. It seemed to even smell like Queens, but he was probably imagining the last part. The low morning sun painted stretched shadows of buildings and people over the streets. People populated the streets going about their daily business in the city that never sleeps. Checking his watch, a limited-edition Rolex, Peter couldn’t help but smirk. It was a 06:48 am in the morning.

_Perfect,_ he thought.

“Hey, Karen. Could you give me a hand?” He shifted his weight in the mostly comfortable business class seat, he had spent the last 9 hours in. Luckily, he brought a fresh suit on the trip, because ruining around in a baggy MIT sweater and jeans isn’t the best outfit to surprise Aunt May in.

“Sure Peter.” Karen’s warm voice peaks into his ear, as he was already getting his hand language out of the compartment. It was hard to keep his excitement contained. In fact, he was so giddy the other passengers kept throwing confused looks at him. That might have been because he was talking to an invisible person named Karen.

"Um…How far is Aunt May’s shop away- “Peter could barely finish his sentence when Karen cheekily replied.

“It’s about 1774,93 feet below us. I must advice you, you haven’t reinstalled your parachute.” Peter grunted at his AI and rubbed his face. He nodded patiently until Karen had finished, but she felt it to be necessary to also inform Peter about the outside air pressure, temperature, CO2 stats and current NFL game plan.

“…You know, I don’t plan to jump out the plane…” Peter looked over his shoulder seeing the other passengers stare. An unsure chuckle came across his features. He turned around again and settled back in his seat.

“At least not this time.”

  
Being the good influence, he was he puts the seatbelt back on (even though he would have probably stuck to the seat anyways).  He felt the glances of two children about two rows ahead on himself. These days he wasn’t a nobody anymore, even though he sometimes wished for more privacy. He leaned back in the seat and kept his eyes on the window. The Architecture of Queens slowly faded in the distance when the plane set it’s path to the landing strip. Peter would have a few moments to reflect on the past trip, which was more or less successful. Whatever he did, the board would always find things to bicker about.

Later that day he would have to present his results to them, however a flashy graffiti on the side of a brick stone building reminded him of the thing he would like to rather do now. It depicted the Avengers in full force; Spider-Man market the middle of the group pose with a text below saying.: “Our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man”. To know the general public still viewed them as heroes after everything that happened, made Peter happier than anything. Maybe except Aunt May’s legendary apple pie with extra crumbles, which he plans to devour once he gets the chance to. The slight shaking of the plane upon approaching an altitude below 200 feet startled him for a short moment, but by that time it had already solid ground below it’s wheels again. The passengers expressed their gratitude for the save trip through clapping and cheering. Shortly after that the doors open, and Peter smells the odour of Queens for real this time around.

He never thought he would miss the slightly greyish fog decorating the sky above New York. As well as the constantly honking yellow taxis which crowded the waiting strip outside the airport. Some of the passengers Peter remembered from the flight reunited with their families and friends. For him it would only take a few minutes more until he could finally lay his arms around his aunt again. God, how he missed her constant rambles about the broken air conditioner, but she also refused to part herself from the damn thing. Typical May. She would rather pinch her pennies several times bevor forcing herself to buy new equipment. Even after Peter had offered to finance a new one, she still turned him down. How could she ever accept so much money from her nephew? Peter shook his head at the thought and moved over to the closest taxi nearby.

“Hey man, could you take these to this address?” Peter leaned a little inside the open window to face the cap driver, who seemed to have had the scare of his life. And shows him a business card to keep everything as discreet as possible.

“Sir?” The middle-aged man seems confused about the address but agrees after seeing the insanely expensive watch around the young man’s wrist. It cost as much as the taxi driver earned in a year. Peter usually didn’t like these expensive gimmicks, but they had the positive side effect of making him look more serious about the whole business stick. Besides he had a way to house Karen nearby and subtly inside a swiss clock work; Which Ai wouldn’t enjoy that? Karen had told him several times, she felt more ‘fancy’ around the edges.  Whatever that was supposed to mean.

“It’s fine. If they make trouble just show them my card.” Peter explained looking over his shoulder where his luggage was waiting to be picked up. The driver nodded still a little unsure, as he forced his way out of the car. Without further hesitation he grabbed the bags which looked lighter than they were.

“Thanks!” Peter let out but as the driver turned his head up from the trunk again the young fellow had already been gone. The only thing he had left were enough dollars to make the trip to the said address several times back and forth. Or just the usual pay and a very generous tip. No matter how the driver put it, it was a pleasure doing business with this stranger.

The roof of a truck wasn’t the most comfortable way to travel for Peter Parker, but the classic ride for Spider-Man. Being back in the suit felt like eating his favourite childhood dish. The best feeling in the world. Currently there isn’t much time to be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, but once Peter got the chance he didn’t hesitate to patrol around the city and make his presence known to the citizens of New York as well as the criminal underworld which lurked among them. It reminded him of a much simpler, maybe more fun time in his life. His suit had mostly stayed the same, from the one he had received such a long time ago.

However, his body had changed in quite significant ways. It didn’t necessarily mean he had put on weight, but his muscle mass had increased. Amazing what regular workouts and protein shakes can do for a spider. The changes to his suit mostly consisted of technical changes and a few upgrades here and there. The most striking new feature must be the gold accents around his shoulders, arms and legs, to remind him of what he has become.  
His nostalgia trip came to an abrupt stop, when the truck made a hard break. Sitting up Peter noticed the traffic jam in front. It gave him an excuse to leave this low-profile way of travel and swing down a few blocks to May’s.

“Karen. I want to beat my current record.” He said already getting ready with some stretches while Karen ran some diagnostics on the suit. The web shooters click up and then back in place just for the test cycles. His HUD drew him a perfect path through the busy street.

“Do you want to add the `Super Cool Protocol’ for dramatic effect? “Karen asked just as Peter was ready. He rested his hands in his hips and nodded his head.

“Of course. Let’s let the Big Apple know who is back in town!” Peter answered while already switching into a full run. He leaped off the truck, but before almost brushing the street he pulled himself forward with a web.  He flew over most of the traffic jam in one long arch, using the membranes to switch into a glide. Some onlookers already caught Spider-Man in their eye; a rare sight these days. Elegant like a butterfly Peter touched down on a traffic light above a busy crossing. The light wiggled upon his impact.

“Whoa.” Peter takes a deep breath impressed by his on-point landing. Not long after that Karen announces.  
“It seems you are out of shape, Peter. 0,051 seconds slower than last time.” Karen concluded. She was very strict when it came to her numbers, but it reminded Peter to always work hard and never get cocky.  

“Mummy look. Spider-Man!” A little boy pointed out to his mother, who where waiting by the crosswalk. The woman threw a short glance at Peter but doesn’t comment further on the situation. It seemed as if she only felt indifference if anything. For some superheroes stood for true justice and protection, but for some. Let’s say some people have a hard time warming up to supernatural beings in their midst.

Peter wouldn’t outright call it fear; however, some were uncomfortable with characters like Spider-Man and would rather like to see them contained. It’s the “Sokovia Accords” all over again. The only thing he feared was the toxic energy, which already caused the Avengers to disband. To this day, the damage could never be repaired fully, even though most members reconciled with each other. Spider-Man sent a friendly wave to boy, who seemed awestruck.

The traffic flowed smoothly again, and Peter decided to focus back his destination. It only took a few swings until he eventually got enough momentum to launch himself onto the roof top of the building beside the one which houses May’s shop. He dropped down in the alley and landed safely. He forgot how many times he had sprayed his ankles during drops like this back when he had no idea what his limits were. It hurt like hell, despite his advanced self-healing abilities. The sun danced higher in the sky coating everything in a soft warm orange appearance.

Peter unsuited, just in time to come up with a plan to surprise his Aunt. She had no idea her boy was back from his business trip already. He might have told him a different date, because he can barely keep track of his assignments. It’s a lot to process. He sometimes wished to have a capable assistant like Mrs. Potts. Usually Peter knew to be careful what to wish for.  
He straightened his blue suit and made sure the tie sat neatly in place. An embarrassing experience with a wrongly tied tie had earned him May’s laughter once. Without her he wouldn’t have tie tying skills in the first place. Without her he wouldn’t have many things.

Peter types in the code of the number lock securing the back door. Fortune for him, the code was easily memorable for him. It was his birthday. Slowly opening the creaking door, he made his way inside. Everything was still dark; no sign of May or any of the waitresses. She probably won’t show up until about ten minutes. He dove his head behind the main counter in which all the mouth-watering Italian style desserts are stored in. Peter often wondered what magic his aunt uses to create these goodies straight out of heaven. Opening the first cupboard he already found what he was looking for. He grabbed the brown apron and laid it on the counter top. His eyes wandered to the door where still no one could be seen.

Moments later the familiar clinking of a key chain was picked up by his ears. Obscured by the shutters, Peter can barely make out Aunt May frantically browse through her bag. She always showed up early enough to open the shop but acted as if the world was ending. Understandable, this place meant the world to her. Peter’s hand brushed over the espresso machine. The grain holders still carried the special smell of the finest coffee beans from all over the world. Lately Peter had the chance to try many different types of coffee, but none could measure up to May’s. Thinking back on the cup in Caracas his body still was tempted to bounce around the room. He leaned over the counter, wearing the apron over his white shirt.

May spun inside the shop, not noticing Peter all. She turned the ‘Open’ sign around. Only after she had opened the shutters, she saw someone’s reflection in the window. Her jaw drops accompanied by her eyes widening a substantial amount.

“Good Morning Mrs. Parker…” Peter could barely keep a straight face, as his aunt almost had a mental break down. It had been too long. Every time she saw him again, she believed he grew a few inches. She runs her hand through her own hair shocked as she walked over.

“Pete-“ Her voice broke eventually as she reached over and squeezed him into a tight hug. Her arms used to easily wrap around him but now it was more of a challenge. No matter how seasoned he became as a businessman, he would always remain the little boy who used to dig around dumpsters for scrap computer parts. He didn’t hesitate to hug her tightly followed by a sigh of relief. Despite an increased amount of grey in May’s hair, she seemed to be doing very well.

“Are you fed up with being high up there…Where the air is thin?” May broke the hug and ran her fingers through Peter’s short curls. To Peter it was no secret that May wasn’t too happy with his carrier choice.

“Nah, I believe I can still ground everyone…Eventually.” Peter smiled down to her and moved behind the counter again. He had already prepared everything to make May a cup of coffee. An optimist through and through, Peter believed he could make the world still a little bit better every day.

“Alright, Mr. CEO.” May smiled fondly and sat down at the first table close to the counter.

“How long will they keep you at the Headquaters this time?” She bit her lip. It was obvious to both of them that the board was actively trying to get Peter out of reach to weaken his influence on the executive parts of the company.

“I am here to stay.” Peter nodded determined and sat down opposite of May, after he set the two coffee mugs down. The intense smell quickly filled the small shop. The young man settles back in his chair and contemplates his next steps. Frustration grew within him every day as long as he couldn’t execute things the way he wanted.

“I arranged a board meeting this afternoon…” Peter picked up his mug and sipped calmly. On the inside however he clearly was nervous. A lot of pressure was on his shoulders. Either he completely turned the general opinion of him within the board around or he was a goner.  
“It’s time to take a stand.”

“It’s what he would have done.” May commented in a slight mumble glaring at Peter who tried to escape her judgement by leaning further back and casually sipping.  
“May, this is not about Mr. Stark.” Peter positioned his body forward, while straightening himself to make his point clear. His head rested on his hand in a typical thinking pose. He laughed shaking his head. How naïve was he to believe he could change decades of company bureaucracy in a comfortable amount of time? May crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Urgh…okay. You are right…What’s the point of Mr. Stark leaving his company in my hands if I don’t run Stark Industries on his terms?” Peter explained distraught and rubbed his face. Sometimes in life things don’t go the way people expect them to. In May’s opinion Peter is way too young and inexperienced to have taken on the mantle of Stark Industries Chief Executive Officer.

“I get the whole…Legacy stuff…but, my god…” May rose from her chair and leanned over the table a serious expression on her face. Her finger moves to point right in the centre of Peter’s chest. There was nothing as scary as his aunt. Maybe he should send her to the board meeting. Peter put his hands up in defence.

“You are not Tony Stark…” A heavy huff escaped May’s lips as she sat down again and crosses her arms. Her gaze was set to the wall right of her. She could no longer look at Peter. Despite everything Stark has done for her son, May feels a decent amount of spite for the man. She felt putting so much responsibility on a ‘kid’ straight out of M.I.T. was a selfish act. It was a big gamble. It either breaks Peter or makes him. May has no tolerance for such gambles, especially with her nephew. Peter frowned at May but then it changed into confusion and eventually into a sigh.

“I guess…I am not.” Peter looks down to his lap, but May decided to come over. She crouched down in front of him taking his hands. Despite Peter’s negative feelings, May’s smile made him feel a little more confident.  
  
“You are Peter Benjamin Parker…”


	2. The Meeting

**Hey Guys!**  
  
**Thanks for the amazing feedback on the Prologue of this fic!**  
 **Some many people left kudos and subbed! That blew me away!**

**I hope you have fun with this chapter as well! Feedback and Suggestions are always** **appreciated :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Meeting**

Through the whole elevator ride Peter couldn’t shake the feeling, as if the woman besides him had her eyes glued on him. Sure, he was the CEO of the company, she was working for, but was he so nice to look at? Maybe he just felt annoyed because of the upcoming meeting. His employee might have had a feeling he was tense than usual. To break the tension a little, Peter checked his watch. Since the woman besides him noticed Peter tightening his jaw, why shouldn’t Karen?

“Your heart rate and blood pressure are increased, Peter. Are you nervous?” Karen always found the right words in the right moment. He shook his head.

“No…I am fine. Don’t worry.” Peter mumbled under his breath a lot more irritated than usual, which didn’t help the whole situation with the female employee. The woman to his right looked up from her paper work slightly confused as to whom her boss was speaking to. It didn’t appear as if he had addressed her. Everyone knows apparent geniuses can have weird ticks. She shrugged it off and left the elevator on the next stop.

“ID registered. Welcome Mrs. Hardy.” The AI voice of the security system announced as the woman slid her key card through the terminal. She gave Peter a respectful nod and went on her way. The whole ride he had wondered, if he had seen this woman before. He felt bad for not knowing every employee, but Stark Industries is was big company. Employee changes happen all the time. Peter shrugged his scepticism off and focused back on the meeting ahead.

Eventually the elevator came to a halt at the top floor. The floor was mostly used for important meeting’s and had a lounge for guests. Peter didn’t like the place as much as he probably should, but he saw its convenience. The chic interior made business partners feel good about making actual business. It was just a cliché like sipping champagne after a successful deal.

“Mr. Parker, welcome back.” The front desk lady broke Peter’s mental rambling with her greeting. He looked over to her and smiled. She laid Peter’s car keys on the smooth counter made out of walnut timber. He had all forgot about his vehicle, which spent most of it’s time in the garage. Who’s idea was it to give Spider-Man a car? Well, nobody at SI actually knew Peter was the amazing Spider-Man. A secret he had worked hard to keep. There will probably never be a “I am Spider-Man” moment. Firstly, because the reveal of his secret identity would endanger everyone close to him and Secondly because he would steer himself into an embarrassing a downward spiral of ranting about onesies, space tyrants, wall crawling and most importantly wizards.

 

“Thank you; Happy to be back…Any mail?” Peter peaked curiously over the counter which made the lady hold her breath for a second. Sometimes she was just too amused about her boss’ childish demeanour, which didn’t mean it made him less sympathetic.

“Yes.” She simply answered and placed the basked of mail in front of Peter. It was a lot to browse through. Only one letter caught Peter’s attention. A letter from Michelle Johnson; his highschool bully and crush. He smiled while he stored it in his chest pocket.

“Is everyone here already?” Peter came out with another question, hoping he would have a few more minutes to get settled. Luck wasn’t on his side this time, since the woman just replied with a simple nod and wave of her hand towards the main meeting room.  
“Ah, I almost forgot. Mrs. Potts is tied up with other matters at the moment. She won’t attend the meeting today.” This info made Peter visibly freeze. Since the day he had become CEO, Pepper never missed a meeting. His thoughts shifted; Did something happen? Maybe with Morgan? She could be a trouble maker sometimes. How could he handle this without Pepper?! Maybe she already gave up on him?! His brown eyes fix on the clerk.

 “Ermm…thanks.” Peter moved towards the glass door of the meeting room. The tie around his neck felt as if it could strangle him at any moment now. Suddenly the air was boiling. His hand touched the seemingly freezing door handle. He was done for.

 

“…Good day…” Peter made sure to be extra careful with his strength so he wouldn’t smash the door as he closed it behind himself. He even flinched, but nothing happened. None of the board members seemed to have noticed his small panic attack.

“You can do it, Peter. Just imagine them in their underwear.” Karen commented. Their greetings went almost inaudible by Peter since he only heard his heart thumping in his ears, aside from Karen’s not so helpful advice. Every seat was filled except, Peppers on the far left. Otherwise everyone else was assembled around the table, expecting Peter to bring them ground shaking visions for the future. Most of them had been on the board for years; some even back in Howard Stark’s days. Every one of them felt it to be reasonable to see the money they invested into this company to be multiplied by a good chunk every quarter. Until now SI could always deliver on that promise. The company didn’t exactly lose money, but many felt it could be better.

“Thank you for coming.” Peter announced before sitting down in his chair. Even now it felt too big for him. His feet tapped the ground nervously. Maybe the expresso at May’s wasn’t the best idea. The agenda was as usual, which meant going over the current numbers and setting new goals. These goals could be of financial or political nature. The topic of public relations seemed to concern a good number of members. Eventually the discourse fell on Peter’s role in the company.  
  
“Mr. Parker, with due respect, many of us are concerned about your priorities with this company.” One of the members rose from his seat to make his point clear. He was filthy rich investment banker. Of course, his concern would all be about that sweet cash. From the beginning his was against putting a ‘kid’ from Queens in this position. In his eyes, Peter was too weak to be CEO.

“You see…I can’t really express my priorities because I am rarely present at these meetings.” Peter snapped back at him. Not in a sarcastic way but rather eager to prove his point. All the attention was now on him. The assistant protocolling the meeting keeps typing away as silence filled the room.

“It seems as though many feel it to be necessary to keep me distant. To have me controlled.” His eyes deliberately went over each person in the room. He moved up from his chair and stood in front of them. Not exactly the tallest person Peter knew he wouldn’t impress anyone with his body language. Even though he had read in a business magazine that body language makes or breaks a deal.

“You want to know about my priorities?” Peter had to be cautious not to get too emotional. He felt personally attacked by their distrust in him. They expected him to be the dominant figure head of SI; to be a Tony Stark. He was shaking all over his body. The pressure was slowly getting to him.

“We already know about your ideas of a ‘successful’ company, Mr. Parker…However turning Stark Industries into a charity event is not in our best interest.” An elderly woman sitting on Peter’s right hooked right into the topic. She slid a folder over the table towards Peter. He didn’t need to look at it to know what it referred to; It was his initiative he had started, after he took over the company a few months ago.

The so called “Little Guy” initiative, was built on the idea, that Stark Industries supports small to middle size businesses, who developing new innovations. SI would benefit from having partial ownership of these companies and from the commissions. Peter felt, that not everyone gets as luck as he had. He wanted to create a strategy which would benefit SI and society in a big way.

“Your initiative has already cost us millions but hasn’t brought any returns yet.” The banker talked again with a puffed-up chest. He was hellbent und getting Peter to finally step down.  
“These geeks in garages won’t bring Stark Industries forward.” The guy said throwing his pen on his notes and crossing his arms. This was the moment Peter snapped.

“You see…This guy behind me…” Peter pointed behind his shoulder while his other hand rested in his pocket. A painting of Tony Stark decorated the wall Peter had pointed to. It was donated by a famous painter to SI, saying his life was changed for the better because of Tony Stark. Tony changed the whole product catalogue of SI by banning weapons, basically overnight and he let none stand in his way.

“You might know him…He was a geek in a garage too…But I digress” Peter paused, wondering if he had now brought them all a little closer to the ground. Could they ever see the full picture? Peter’s urge to help others, was only increased after he finally got the resources to actually do it. As Peter not as Spider-Man.

“Stark Industries is about creating a better future…for everyone.” Peter emphasized the last part of his sentence. People needed to be excited about the prospect of a glorious future again. He wanted to keep this childlike excitement alive. The world has changed. Aliens came to Earth and threatened the human existence. However, this battle was not won by relying on weapons and violence, but on the perseverance of a team; by their believe in a future.

“If you want to see me gone then you might as well say goodbye to this company…” Peter braced himself on the table and glared at all of them. There was exceptional dedication in his eyes. Everyone inside the room seemed dumbfounded. The typing assistant could only write everything down by silently mouthing ‘wow’. One promising speech couldn’t change their perception of him. These people aren’t that easily impressed. It meant for Peter to finally take action. Peter was convinced his Initiative would be a success, in time.

 

Only a sandwich from Mr. Lamar’s could bring Peter’s revolting stomach back into balance. The sun was slowly setting on Queens as he munched on the bread. Sitting on a rooftop wearing his Spider-Man Suit. It was nice out here. Silent. A good place to collect and sort his jumbled thoughts. During these meetings he often wondered, what Mr. Stark would have done. He contemplated if Stark would be proud of his work.

_“Good job, Kid”_

He laid on the edge of the roof watching planes pass by on the clear sky. He had called Mrs. Potts before, because he was concerned about her and Morgan. Peter didn’t only take over Tony’s legacy but also the role of protecting his family. Peter felt as if Mr. Stark had always craved this warm feeling of family and belonging. If only he could have enjoyed his fortune while it lasted.

“Karen, could you please give Mrs. Potts another call?” Peter got up and looked over the buildings and streets in front of him still buzzing with life. He yawned and stretched. Time to head home.

 

“I am starting to get a little worried.” Peter explained to Karen as he hoped over the buildings making sure to keep a low profile. The night vision included in his suit in combination with a sonar ping to locate possible obstacles made it easy for Peter to navigate through Queen’s skyline now plunged into darkness.  
“Of course, Peter.” Karen answered calmly. The path to Peter’s apartment hadn’t been anymore. Only a few more jumps and turns until he could enjoy the comfort of his couch. A nature documentary to fall asleep too would certainly help to get his mind of recent developments. He hoped he had brought himself more time so his plan can prosper. He made the last jump to the side of his apartment building. Climbing up the wall to the right floor, Peter noticed immediately someone, or something was inside his home. The switched-on lights indicated they intruders’ intentions. Apparently, they didn’t want to still anything or they were really bad at being bad guys.

“Mrs. Potts is not available. And Peter, I think you might have guests.” Karen said as Peter had already positioned himself on the left side of an open window leading into his home. Weird, he could smell the scent of food coming from inside. He peaked inside only to see a shadow move about.  
“Yeah, alright…Thanks…What are they doing?” He asked in a whisper and Karen sends out the mini drone to investigate. Peter wanted to mentally facepalm. He either didn’t lock the door properly or left a window open when he had left in a hurry for his trip.

“They are preparing a meal. A delicious smelling one I might add.” Karen informed Peter who would have never admitted it himself. Heightened senses meant a lot, even being able to enjoy food in much deeper ways.

“Should I give you list of the groceries they used out of the fridge? You might want to restock to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. As of late you-“ Karen got cut off by Peter deciding to jump through the small window. He landed right on the toilet, which to his luck had the lid closed. Pinning himself inside the small room he managed to get on the ceiling. His webs came in handy by opening the toilet door, which lead in the living room. This was the first time his Spider-Sense tingled.  
“Activate ‘Enhanced Combat Mode’.” Peter told Karen while crawling over the ceiling outside the toilette. Good thing Peter chose an old style apartment with extended ceiling height. It didn’t just look nice, but also gave him ways to swing around his home because it was fun.  
“Whoever is here, isn’t a normal person.” Peter kept moving forward silently mumbling Karen but mostly himself. He came to an abrupt stop above the dinner table, as he saw the person, who revealed herself to be a she. From above Karen, couldn’t get an identification.  A different angle was needed. Peter went on the look for options but there were none. There was only one option left.

 

“What’s for dinner?” Peter dropped down on the table in front of the woman. Upon seeing him she shrieked and fell backward with her chair. Of course, he had to use the voice changer. Her winning on the floor made him reconsider his choice. No way she was a criminal. Peter watched her regain some sensibility while crouched over the edge of the table. She didn’t appear hurt, only confused. Her hand rubbed through her red hair, while her blue eyes glared at Peter. Her scare didn’t come from Spider-Man, but rather from being scared in the first place.  
“Ermm urgh…Mac n’ Cheese?” She grunted at him annoyed. Propped up on her elbows she continued.

“Mrs. Potts told me this would happen.” She mumbled but Peter could hear her anyways. A closer look at her outfit choice made it obvious she was neither a supervillain nor amateur robber. She wore a pair of black pants held up by suspenders over a white shirt. The black hat she wore, magically stayed on her head, even after the fall.

“Who are you?” Peter leaned over the table down to her. The young woman brushed the dust off herself and rested her hands in her hips.

“Peter, this is not how you treat a lady.” Karen referred to Peter not helping her get up. Judging by the expression on the female’s face, he wouldn’t have liked to try. It reminded him of Black Widows ‘Stare of Death’. It was scary.

“Wait…Mrs. Potts?” Peter jumped off the table and landed on the ground facing the stranger. He crossed his arms to appear more serious. He _really_ needed to get better at this part of the job.

“Yes…She sent me.” The red-head explained with a pained expression. She looked over to her meal, which was getting cold. An awkward silence fell between them after both of their stomaches made clearly audible screams for food. Peter narrowed his eyes.

“How about we discuss this over these delicious smelling Mac n’ Cheese?” Peter suggested which made the female laugh. She knew Peter Parker could be super weird, but this topped everything. This job could really be something, she thought.

“Fine.” She answered as she sat down and offered Peter the other seat, which had a plate and everything else placed in front of it.


	3. Help has arrived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you guys! :)
> 
> Until now I seem to keep up with my planned schedule of updating weekly pretty alright. If anything the kudos, subs and bookmarks give me the motivation to hustle myself through these chapters. :) I am already really excited to show you what I have planned for this fic. I hope I won't let you down. 
> 
> As always feedback of every kind is appreciated!

* * *

 

**Chapter 2: Help has arrived**

 

They had been sitting across from each other for a while now. Both chewed silently on their macs. To the female’s frustration Peter still wore his Spider-Man mask over half of his face. He had caught her starring and quickly looking away so many times, that he actually stopped counting. What she didn’t know was that Peter had Karen run a scan to find out who his dinner partner was. From the outside she might have looked like a normal person, but Peter had learned to trust his Spider-Sense when it alerted him.  
  
“So…” He started not really sure how to voice his question. It seemed rather hard to be taken seriously having cheese smeared around the corners of your mouth. He grabbed a tissue and cleaned the mess. Dropping it dramatically on the table, must appear dramatic and serious, however it was just cringy, because someone had to throw it away. That someone probably was him. Maybe he should get a housekeeper after all? The woman opposite from him shifted in her seat indicating she was about to get up. She reached over and attempted to pick up Peters plate. His senses kicked in again and he stopped her wrist mid-air with a tight grip of his hand.  
  
“Could you…erm…let go of me.” She said, her green eyes starring him down. They were clearly widened, although not because of his action. She had anticipated something along those lines would happen at some point. Spider-Man’s grip was indeed something. His fast reflexes left an impression on her, since her cheeks were quickly marked by a shy blush. Noticing this, Peter let go of her wrist. He felt bad for performing such a harsh action on a simple woman. Then he remembered she broke into his house. She brushed her fingers over her reddened hand which slowly regained some circulation of blood.

“I am sorry.” He simply apologized, by raising his hands. Peter sighed, watching her rest her hands on her hips, as if she was about to lecture him about table manners.  
“Well…the food was delicious…thanks…” He tried to make the situation less awkward. The words made her loose up a bit. Was she as nervous as he was? A smile came over both of their faces. There was this instant connection, as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Parker.” She answered nodding her head. Her hands folded in front of her body. Peter felt it to be weird that she addressed him this formally. The woman tilted her head, placing a genuine smile of fondness over her face.

“Peter, Mrs. Potts is calling…” Karen informed. The young man glared back at the woman, before he moved his body towards the staircase, which lead to his bedroom. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could leave her alone. The worst thing she would probably do is bake a cake, so he shrugged and left for some privacy.

“Put her through.” Peter felt relieved to know Pepper was calling him back. He gently closed the door of his bedroom behind himself. Now by himself he decided to deactivate the suit. The woman wouldn’t stalk him through the key hole, would she? The thought went through his head as he settled on the bed. Subconsciously he always kept his eyes on the door, just in case. Finally, the last toot sounded and was replaced by Pepper’s calm voice.

 

“Hey Peter…” He swallowed. He had a feeling Pepper would bring up the topic of the last meeting and his ‘stance’. He just hoped none took footage of it. That wasn’t very likely since Karen usually captures everything.

“I am sorry to only call you back now…I umm…” Pepper juggled the words in her head, just to make sure Peter wouldn’t worry himself to death. He would probably rush out the door and leave a window open again. Peter nodded his head, not realizing Pepper can’t appreciate his gesture of attention. Whatever she would tell him now, had his ad most attention, even though it might just be something mundane.

“…You remember we talked about getting you an assistant, right?” Pepper could barely hide her chuckle. The tone in her voice indicated to Peter this might be some mutual schadenfreude between red heads. Of course, Pepper was in on this! It would explain why the female just casually made dinner in his apartment. Nothing to answer Peter simply rubbed his face and grunted tired.

“I got you one…The best one you can imagine.” Her tone was flooded with fondness and excitement. Peter got up from the bed and opened the door. He already heard plates clunking down below in the kitchen. His ‘assistant’ moved on to do the dishes. This person must be an android. Like any other sensible person, he hated doing the dishes. It was just pain inducing. His burning hatred for it led him to almost reprogram Dum-E back in the day to do it for him.

“I see that…” Peter turned a little away to shield his talking so the woman wouldn’t hear. He continued with a whisper.  
“She apparently broke into my house, cooked dinner and right now she does the dishes.”  He covered his mouth, believing it would shield most of the sound from the woman’s ears. His theory proved to be wrong when she turned her head in his direction. He expression could only be deciphered as puzzled. Meanwhile Pepper let out a laugh on the other side making it clear she wasn’t surprised.

“…since you are not Tony…I am sure you will treat her with the respect she deserves.” Pepper explained while Peter just made eye contact with his assistant. He had heard stories of how Tony gave every assistant a hard time, until he had to deal with Virginia Pepper Potts. He would have never admitted it back then, but he liked her to be around. Peter froze for a second, but then regained his composure. He became a still frame in his life for a moment, but the show must go on.

“…Thank you…but I don’t think I-“ Peter tried to reason with Pepper. He didn’t need an assistant. His days at SI could be counted down on one hand, he was sure of it. The meeting bought him some time, but would it be enough? Additionally, he didn’t like the thought of having someone who was only employed to put up with his crazy antics. He couldn’t even keep his alter ego a secret from her for one second. What if she got in danger because of him? He bit his lip and kept worrying it. He couldn’t continue his sentence because Pepper interjected.

“Save the backtalk. You need someone, who got your back. Someone to keep you company and make sure you don’t dehydrate…” Pepper paused for a moment. She knew from experience how important this was. Peter needed someone to keep him company during boring office sessions, on flights or just to make sure he would drink enough water and eat properly. God, how often she had found Tony spread out over his workshop table, asleep because he had pulled an all-nighter again. Pepper wanted to rescue Peter from becoming like that. She saw what it did to Tony. Peter kept silent, but realized Pepper was probably right. He had really only been working like crazy lately, there wasn’t much time for anything else. For the things he used to love to do. After these long days, there just was zero energy left inside of him. It wasn’t only his life as Peter but saving people as Spider-Man became continuously harder with a body and mind which weren’t as sharp as usual. Sometimes he felt he was letting everyone down.

“I am sure Doreen won’t disappoint you. She is really nice and occasionally enjoys a bouquet of flowers…Gardenia are her favs.” Pepper point’s out and Peter imagined she just winked at him so he would get what she meant.

 “Alright, thank you a lot…I appreciate it.” Peter smiled, while rubbing the back of his head. So, her name was Doreen. It had a lovely ring to it. He leaned back against the railing by the staircase. It was like he could feel Doreen’s eyes pinned on his back.  
“Could you do me a favour…and give Morgan a big hug?” The corners of his mouth moved upwards towards his ears again. He really wanted to see his little sis again. She probably wasn’t as little anymore. With her head always stuck in the clouds she might have grown taller than him by now.

 

Peter returned to the kitchen wearing what could only be described as insanely comfortable clothing. A simple blue hoodie with a faded print on it paired with baggy grey sweat pants. He leaned against the door frame of the kitchen while crossing his arms. It was attempted to seem cool and casual, however Doreen just glared at him deadpan for a brief moment. She went back to stacking the china in the dish washer. There seemed to be method to her madness. A perfectionist through and through Doreen slotted everything in a particular way which would ensure it would get cleaned properly.

“You know…I am sure your job description doesn’t include this.” Peter moved a little bit closer, until only the open door of the dish washer separated them. He pointed below them to make his point clear.

“Yes…I know…I just like to make myself useful.” Doreen answered clinging the plate in her hands tightly, as she answered to his statement. He felt bad for not helping her earlier. What exactly was her job description in the first place? Be the Pepper Potts to his Tony Stark? It would explain why Pepper choose a red-head, which could have also been a job requirement. Peter nodded silently still looking down at her, since the woman was a lot smaller than he was. Her forehead only reached the middle of his chest.

“Mrs. Potts told you why I am here?” Her green eyes fixed on Peter. It made him internally jump a little, but then he sat down by the small breakfast table on the opposite of the kitchen unit. Finally, she was done with finicking around inside the dish washer. It closed with a thud and began doing it’s job. He spread his legs out, which only indicated to Doreen how comfortable Mr. Parker must be here in his home. She would keep it this way.

“Ahhh…I am sorry… I haven’t even properly introduced myself.” She brushed over the strands of hair on her shoulder. How impolite of herself, which made her blush even more embarrassing.  
“My name is Doreen Green. It’s an honour working for you, Mr. Parker.” She offered her hand to Peter, who got up from the chair as a gesture of respect. He gladly shook it and smiled to her. What on earth did he do to deserve someone like her? Never would he have dreamed about having a personal assistant.

“It’s an honour having you here and call me Peter.” He casually answered hiding his hands in his pockets. His smile became more evident when Doreen nodded surprised. Confusion was written all over her face. She adjusted her hat to loosen up, while a deep breath went over her lips. Never would she have expected him to become this personal with her on the first meeting.

“T-thank you…” A small smile drew itself on her face. Peter walked past her to the window closing it in one smooth motion. He leaned on the window ledge and stretched a little.

“So, this is how you got in?” Peter asked looking over his shoulder to see Doreen glance at the ceiling innocently. Her arms were hidden behind her back, as she tilted on the back of her heels.

“No…I took the front door.” Her fingers were crossed behind her back, hoping Peter wouldn’t notice. She might have been testing him. He focused back on the window, noting there was no fire ladder anywhere near it. As he turned around again, his eyebrow was raised so high, it might as well have flown right off his forehead. Then his eyes squinted cautiously. Amusing how bad of a liar this woman was. Peter shook his head in denial, making his way back to the doorway past Doreen. She followed his motion with her eyes.

“…Wanna watch a movie or…?” Peter asked awkwardly as he browsed through the cup boards for some snacks. Man, he was craving caramel popcorn or chips. Doreen moved besides Peter to flawlessly grab the snacks he craved from another shelf. Her hands squeezed it tightly.

“I…need to go…You should have everything you need. Your calendar is organized, and your meetings set. I blocked a time slot tomorrow for us in the office, so we can catch up on work.” Doreen talked fast, but Peter scanned every word for any evidence of emotion, however it seemed fruitless. She appeared all caught up in her professional mode. He kept following her outside to the front door where she grabbed her coat and a bright red scarf. She wrapped it around her neck, almost hiding her face in it. Why did she want to leave so quickly all of a sudden? Maybe he got too touchy with her? Two blinks later she was already dressed and almost out the door.

“Good evening, Mr. Parker.” Doreen looked at him once more. Peter wanted to make sure she was okay, but her frantic movement towards the elevator made him reconsider. He decided to give her space. He himself had to come to grips with this new situation. With someone working alongside him. Peter preferred it to work by himself. He saw what happens when he is part of a team.

“Good night, Doreen.” He closed the door silently and Doreen starred until the elevator arrived.


	4. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally I am back with a new chapter! Yay! (I am sorry for letting you wait so long!)   
> I can't believe it! This story already has 60 subs and over 70 kudos! You are too kind! <3 I am so incredibly grateful!
> 
> Before the chapter I wanted to mention that I am currently looking for a BETA, so if some of you are interested in helping me out please DM me! I appreciate all the help I can get! 
> 
> And now…Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 3: Comfort**

 

The early morning hours were the most productive for Doreen. Luckily her biggest distraction hadn’t arrived yet. She had a feeling her boss, wasn’t the type to sit down and hustle through paper work. Evidence for that was the pile of papers on his desk, besides some unopened mail. She allowed herself to browse through the loose pile of magazines. At lured a chuckle out of her, when she found an issue of ‘Men’s Style.’, a well-known fashion magazine for the modern business man. Despite not being the best when it came to the business etiquette, Doreen gave Mr. Parker kudos for trying.

She felt the itch to sort the magazines as well and stored them in the drawer to the right-hand-side of the desk. To reach the top shelf, she balanced herself on her tiptoes. In situations like this, high heels could give her that last inch she so often needed. Moving aside from the trivial shelf, she focused on the folders in the next section. Doreen had a good understanding of Stark Industries general condition, after Mrs. Potts had briefed her. Curious about the more detailed numbers of the company, still unknown to her, Doreen fetched some folders to quickly browse through. Just as she was laying them out on her desk, her ears picked up the sound of Mr. Parkers chuckle from outside the frosted glass door of the office. The door handle turned downwards, as she desperately grabbed a folder and turned to face Peter, who entered the room.

“Good Morning…” Peter said moving inside, while Doreen still held the folder like a barrier between them to her chest. Her chest thumped against the fabric of her yellow blazer, while her sweaty hands could barely hold onto the admittedly heavy folder. Before it actually slipped out of her hands, Doreen hastily put it aside on the desk.

“Morning.” Doreen managed to say, while Peter gave her a look. He was hiding something behind his back. His bright smile wasn’t exactly reassuring to Doreen. She just hoped it wasn’t some crazy invention that loved to eat assistants in probation period.

“Thanks again for the food last night…To return the favor, I thought I’d bring some breakfast,” Peter showed her two fresh cups of coffee, each paired with a choco-croissant. The packaging told Doreen that the goodies must be from a small local store. It all smelled amazing, although Doreen mostly got excited by the smell of the nut-choco cream inside the pastries. Doreen simply nodded with a smile, as a gesture of appreciation.

“I hope you are well rested,” Doreen smiled as she sat down in front of Peter’s desk on one of the visitor’s chairs. She wondered if Peter still thought about her sudden departure last night. All she hoped for, was that he didn’t take it personally. Peter sipped his coffee, however hyper focused on his computer screen. He nibbled on the top of the cup, while Doreen watched him in silence.

“Yeah…thank you…I just…,” Peter narrowed his eyes, which made Doreen tense up in her chair. Naturally she got to her feet and around the desk to see what her boss saw. She kept a respectful distance. Apparently, the PR department had sent him a concerning link, something no CEO liked to be notified about first in the morning. Doreen leaned closer to read what the headline on the site said.

“…Chaotic Good? Stark Industries CEO’s well-meaning Pet Project costs company millions,” She subconsciously read the line out loud, followed by a concerned gasp. Both thrown at the screen. Peter leaned back in his chair and led out a tired huff. He rubbed his face troubled. Clearly someone on the board, had told the press a thing or two about what had happened during the last meeting.

“The information in that article has no merit.” Doreen stated swiping the screens content up to the big board on the wall. She crossed her arms, reading further. It was bad. The mantra, ‘any PR is good PR’, won’t cut it here. The issue lied much deeper. It was not with Peter though, but with the people who obviously were trying to undermine his position inside the company. Doreen’s first reaction would have been to call in a strategy meeting with the PR department and do damage control.

“It’s not about that. It’s about what the people believe.” Peter stood by the window overlooking the morning skyline of Manhattan. His jaw clenched. Instead of letting themselves further drift into panic, Doreen moved over to her chair again, but not after closing the tab of the article. Peter raised an eyebrow at her, as she casually continued to munch her croissant, mumbling how delicious they were. Doreen wasn’t going to dwell on a situation, they couldn’t change, at least for now. They both had to have a clear mind, when tackling that issue.

“This is amazing. Where did you get these?” She asked looking up to him, with a spark in her eyes. Her cheeks seemed to have even reddened because of the enchanting taste. Somewhat confused by her change in composure Peter answered. Little did he know, her job description also included taking some of the stress away and make him smile. Her finger still pointed at the half eaten sweet in her hand, while she curiously blinked at him.

“My aunt makes them in her café,” Peter simply said, leaning against the desk facing Doreen. There it was, his smile. Doreen felt her mission was accomplished for today, on an emotional level. Being happy seemed like the true secret to reach the success they desired. For now, it was important to keep Peter in line, so he wouldn’t just go and ditch his job, without even properly trying. Upon further inspection Doreen realized how tense her boss appeared. It was so much unlike the way he was back in his home. His senses must be going haywire from the pressure, that’s why he probably always wore his Spider-Man costume. It might help him alleviate the stress somewhat. It might help treat the symptoms, although not the cause. Was he actively using his superhero persona as a means to escape the ‘hell’ that was his day job?

“Well…Then let’s pay your aunt a visit,” Doreen got up from her chair and moved over to grab her coat. She also fetched some of the papers carefully stuffing them inside her handbag. It didn’t matter where they did their work, as long as they got it done. The office didn’t seem like the right place. Dumbfounded Peter glared at her and shook his head, slumping back into his chair.

“We really should stay here, in case someone needs something,” Obviously Peter was trying to project the opposite of what he was actually thinking. He folds his hands over his chest. However, Doreen was having none of it. Her head tilted slightly sideways accompanied by her eyebrow rising. She wondered if he had forgotten about the miracles of modern communication technology. Next, she simply drew her phone, mockingly showing the display as she dialed Peters number (which she had on speed-dial).

“Peter, Mrs. Green is calling…,” Karen informed in a somewhat cheerful voice. He grunted at her completely caught off guard. She got him good. Raising his hands in defense he followed her comment less. Doreen kept the door open for him politely.

“Mr. Parker and I will be out of the office all day. We are available via phone or email,” Doreen told the front desk lady on their way to the elevator. Peter nervously rubbed his head, thinking how Aunt May will ask a thousand questions about Doreen. He couldn’t blame her for it though; gossiping was part of running a café.

 

The music flowing through her ears, made the task ahead somewhat more bearable. At least she brought gloves this time. Just as she set foot inside the dumpster Morgan had to remind herself why she was doing this in the first place. Dumpster Diving wasn’t her first choice when it came to leisure activities. It could have been worse. Scrap computer parts and electronics weren’t as bad as the two neighbour dumpsters which contained decayed food, according to the smell. Ah yeah; the smell. Morgan grunted browsing further through the scraps to find what she is looking for. She was sure she would know when she sees it.

“I guess these are good,” Morgan took a closer look at the loose chips scattered in her hand. Following a shrug, she put them inside the box she brought. They used to be the brain of a computer, so they must of use for her cause. No matter how nutritious they might be, she needed more. Straightening herself again, Morgan looked around to make sure none saw her. This was the fifth dumpster she had been scavenging that day. Analysing her current haul, it still seemed pretty puny. A white sack in the corner of the alley caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes intrigued. The label on it read, ‘Faulty parts for disposal’, which someone had written on it with thick black marker. Surely the work of the shop owner, who’s dumpster Morgan was currently standing in.   
“Jackpot,” Morgan thought with a smile. She must have been so caught up in her routine, that she didn’t notice this treasure before.

Her eyes grew wide, as she took a peek inside it. These parts would last her at least a week, if she rationed it well. She didn’t bother with grabbing just the parts and loaded the whole bag in the back basked of her bike. The bike wasn’t anything fancy, but she grew to appreciate the present her grandma gave her for her 10th birthday. It already had some years on its back when Morgan got it. Some anecdote about her mum riding the bicycle during her college days and crashing into a tree. Both survived, obviously. What didn’t survive all these years was the seemingly light blue paint job the bike used to have. Repainting it could be fun side project, Morgan thought. Then again, she had so many side projects. Her hands reach for the silver handle to wheel it out of the alleyway, back onto the main street. Happy about her bounty, Morgan came into the mood to whistle the song she was currently listening to. The upbeat tunes were stopped by the clank of a metal door opening. Morgan visibly flinched, not daring to turn around now.

“Hey you…Young lady,” A gruff male voice called out behind her spiced up with a certain amount of irritation. Morgan assumed it to be the owner of the electronics shop whose dumpsters she had borrowed a few parts from here and there. Her sense of justice would have never allowed her to even consider her actions as stealing. Other than robbers, she had a good reason why she was taking the scraps. In Morgan’s mind it was just like recycling.  
Making a quick getaway on her bike, wasn’t one of her most heroic choices, but for now there was no other way. Treading into the old peddles as hard as was she could made her quickly gain momentum. At the end of the alley, back on the main street, Morgan took a sharp turn and cycled away into the busy traffic of New York. Her ears still registered the furious proclaims of the shop owner, who had given up chasing her. Morgan dared to look over her shoulder and guilt washed over her already sweat drenched face. Garbage or not, the parts didn’t belong to her, despite her still finding value in them where others didn’t.

 

Not a single thought was left for what Morgan had just experienced once she pulls through the entrance gate of Romanov Park. A place built to honour of the fallen heroes, who fought bravely when faced with the greatest hardships. As the name implies it was named after Natasha Romanov, who had saved the world countless times from the shadows as Black Widow. Her sacrifice assured those taken by the cosmic power of the infinity stones could return home to their loved ones. Many friendships and families couldn’t exist the way they do without Natasha. To many Black Widow was an untouchable hero, but for Morgan she was just her lovely aunt Nat, whom she had always admired for her grace.

Upon seeing the large waterspout fountain behind the entrance Morgan had to stop and stare. The flowers circling around it were in full bloom. The afternoon summer sun made them express their beautiful colours, even upon their reflection in the fountain water. The fountain was known for bringing good fortune and courage, if a penny is dropped into the water. It was nice to think that the Avengers were watching everyone from the afterlife and give new heroes the courage to rise. Rumour has it the garden blooms so exceptionally well every year, because it was planted over the old Avengers compound. Inside the fountain were six pillars symbolizing the original six heroes who banded together and formed the first team of Avengers. There were no statues created in their image as a grim reminder of their loss.

Morgan got off her bike and decided to wheel it along the sandy path around the fountain. During the afternoon many people visit the park. Some people come regularly just like Morgan. For her it was a way to escape her mundane daily life in the grey jungle of NY. Additionally, it gave her enough motives to sketch. Doing study drawings of flowers had become one of her favourite things to do. She liked how it was a place for everyone. In one corner old folks would philosophize over a game of chess. In the other carefree toddles frolicked around in the grass. Among the cheerful giggles of the children, birds chirped from the tree tops, followed by the occasional bark of dogs.

 On the path to the back section of the park, Morgan noticed the ice truck. She thought about getting herself a juice pop on the way home. Her destination was the section of the park with the artful flowerbeds. She was excited to meet the friend who would be waiting there for her. With each step the parts clunked inside the bag, since the path had switched to reddish cobblestone. She would be lying if she said this part of the park didn’t make her feel somewhat sad. The reason for that it was themed after earth’s greatest defender, Iron Man. Even after all these years the public had not forgotten what he did. In fact, he did many great things, but to Morgan being her dad was his greatest gift. She cherishes the memories of their short time together. Sadly, they slowly fade into vague perception of what he was like.  It didn’t matter how often Morgan got told how much he had loved her; that she should be proud of her dad’s decision to sacrifice it all to save everyone. Morgan hated him for doing it. She spent nights crying because he wasn’t there to protect her from the monsters in the closet or count the stars at night.

The poppy flowers planted around the memorial she was reminiscing in front of blew from side to side by sudden rough winds. Her focus shifted from the memorial to the small forest behind it. Like many times before she leaned her back against the nearest tree before she walked in. Soon spruces, pines accompanied by the occasional oak surrounded her. Each stood taller than the next one. Their branches blocked out the sunlight rendering it pleasantly cool. Morgan dropped the sack of electronics on the ground with a smile.

Soon a creature made its presence known to Morgan with cheerful somewhat robotic yelps. Morgan shifted her glance to a tree a few feet to her right to see it sticking it’s head out. Camouflage wasn’t its strong suit because of its white base colour, with blue highlights to indicate the energy sizzling through its body from the arc reactor in its chest. The creature happily moved over upon registering it was Morgan. Despite walking on all four it still was wobbly like a puppy taking it’s first steps. Puppy was a good word to describe it, however it appeared more like a lizard with its flattened tail and dinosaur like head. Morgan liked to think of him a baby dragon. Upon seeing it Morgan crouched down and opened her arms to catch the robot animal, which wiggled its tail like a dog. It might have picked up this behavioural pattern from watching dogs express their affection towards their owners.

“Hey, Nelly,” Morgan hugged him and the creature clings tightly to her. His reckless demeanour made Morgan label him as a boy. She patted his head and chuckled. Being greeted this fondly made her feel bad for every time she had to leave him here in the forest, alone. Hiding him here was for his own safety, because her mum would probably freak out at the sight of one her dad’s secret inventions. The robot lizard in her arms was also known as Project S.E.N.T.I.N.E.L.

**S** entient **E** motional **N** ano- **T** echnology **I** nfused **N** osy **E** mpathetic **L** izard


	5. Responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Yes, I can't believe it either. I am back, my dudes.   
> Of course I didn't come empty handed. I brought a new chapter with me. 
> 
> Despite Peter being the main character of this story, I decided to write a chapter more focused on Morgan. Since we don't have much to go off from her character in canon, I took my liberties with her characterization (you might have noticed in the earlier chapter). I am totally fine if you don't agree with my approach for the characters in this fic, so please tell me how you feel about the characters! I am really curious to hear your opinion.
> 
> So without anymore diversions, have fun with the chapter!

**Chapter 4: Responsibility**

Overwhelmed by Sentinel’s blabber Morgan almost forgot the reason she came here, aside from visiting. The bot couldn’t actually talk but expressed himself in weirdly natural yelps. Morgan wasn’t just pretending to be able to understand what he told her. In some way she could piece together what his senseless language was all about. Morgan held his paws in her hands while still crouching down. She squeezed them a little. Sentinel immediately stopped; his big blue eyes kept on her. Befitting his name, he tilted his head and was ready to listen to whatever was on Morgan’s mind.

“Uh…It’s nothing. How about we go to the pond?” Morgan shook her head, mostly at herself. Sentinel commented with an excited cheer accompanied by constant wagging of his tail. To him it was natural to be happy whenever Morgan spent time with him. Hiding away from the world could be lonely from time to time. In fact, he loved people. That might be because he had only met Morgan, who had only directed kindness and care towards him.  
Sentinel pranced in front of her back towards the path, where Morgan had parked her bike. Other than her little companion, Morgan was worried someone might see them. It’s true, robots have become more common in the last few years, however they just full fill tasks like driving or sorting warehouses, nothing quite as elaborate as little Sentinel here. Peter had tried several times to spark her interest in robotics. She didn’t find the prospect of it that exciting, until she came across Sentinel. Speaking of him, he was currently trying to climb into the front basked of her bike. Despite his chubby appearance, Sentinel was light enough to not knock the bike over. His legs waddled in the air unable to pull himself up.

 

“A pair of wings really could be handy, eh?” Morgan grasped him and placed him in the basked. Sentinel doesn’t mind Morgan helping him, though he sometimes dreamed to soar like these feathered creatures. The small robotic creature could barely contain his curiosity as he rocked in the basked back and forth.

“Hold on!” Morgan announced making Sentinel jump a little to grab onto the metal weaving of the basket. Nothing could happen now, since he was holding on as tight as he could. Maybe not tight enough knowing the first few feet could be quite bumpy. No wonder with cobble stone below the tires of the bike and a not so forgiving suspension.  His focused shifted when he felt the airflow brush over his body. If he closed his eyes, it really would feel like flying. Morgan’s chuckles enhanced the experience even more.

It’s moments like these that make Morgan forget her daily struggles. There was no sound of her teaching nagging at her for not paying attention in class. There were no duties. No one to impress. Just her, Sentinel and the wind rustling through the leaves above. Riding a bike with her eyes closed, wasn’t her best idea. History was about to repeat itself. Desperate Sentinel yelped to gain Morgan’s attention, since his collision detection had alerted him about the upcoming bush. She opened her eyes only to face her inevitable crash with the greenery ahead. There was no time for a diversion. Her fingers curled around the breaks pressing them as hard as she could. The breaks were quickly exhausted in their capabilities, so she planted her feet into the ground as well. First the front tire made contact with the kerbstone, dissecting the path from the green the bush was situated on. The following force launched Sentinel out of the basked towards a tree and Morgan halfway over the handle. It was it this moment, when his not very aero dynamic body came in handy. Morgan luckily managed to catch herself before landing on the needles of the bush. She quickly recovered after hearing Sentinel topple across the ground. He hit the tree with his forehead, leaving his flank facing Morgan.

“Sentinel!” Morgan came to his side concerned. In the back of her head, she was aware he wouldn’t be seriously hurt. Still she picked him up into her arms. Sentinel needed a few moments to retaliate. He just looked like a startled puppy when he saw Morgan’s face. Her worry made him swirl into panic. Pained whimpers left him as he buried his head in her soft sweater. It must have hurt. Until now, Morgan had no idea about Sentinel’s capability to feel pain. Was It too far-fetched to believe his metal body would shield him from things that could possibly do him harm? Guilty, Morgan placed her hand on his head, actively trying to calm him. Her thumb rubbed over the top of his forehead. The bark of the tree had scratched his fore head, leaving an assemble of gashes. Morgan noticed how similar it looked to a flesh wound, but it lacked blood. Further lamenting the fact, that Sentinel was much more than a metal creature. Morgan held him tightly, resting her cheek on his head while rocking him like a baby.

“It’s okay…,” She whispered, still shaking all over her body because things took such a turn. Morgan settled on the ground by the tree. There were meant to have silly fun. Never would she have figured she was acting irresponsible. She laid her arms around Sentinel protecting him, understanding what meant to neglect her responsibility for him. More knowledgeable about the dangers, she shouldn’t have acted so unrelenting.

“I am sorry…”

 

On the way home, Morgan had to wheel her bike home. The front tire had taken quite a hit. The bike was impossible to carry her home with a tacoed wheel. Frustrated about herself she wore a frown across her face. Her cheeks puffed up, trying to stop herself from cursing out loud. By now her mum had coined all the curse words after their move back to New York. Pepper had stubbed her toe so often because she overlooked the door still of the front door. Morgan had taken notes together with Peter, who had been there to help, since her mum had gotten particularly creative with her verbal expressions of dissatisfaction. She still has the list on the pinboard in her room to this day. Morgan placed, more like thrusted her bike into the next best bike holder next to their home. She was surprised she bothered to put a lock on it. Probably habit. She had hoped the stupid thing would get stolen by some thug.

Walking up the stairs to their apartment, Morgan figured Spider-Man would probably bring her bike back anyway and she would be stuck with it. So why bother. The guy probably spent more time returning ‘borrowed’ bikes than actually fighting super villains.

“I am home…,” Morgan called out entering. Automatically she put her keys in the key box beside the door before she stripped off her jacket. Around the corner she found her mum on the couch. To Morgan’s dismay she was on the phone and simply waved her daughter to greet her. Morgan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and moved to the kitchen to grab something to munch while doing her long overdue math homework. Yikes. Checking the fridge, Morgan grabbed some oat meal. Her mum had probably been too busy to fix up some proper dinner. Not that Morgan had any particular need for it.

Morgan quickly disappeared in her room, leaving Pepper to her own business again. She had no intent to interfere with whatever her mum had to arrange now. Lately everything had been about her so-called relief foundation aside from helping Peter do his job properly. What’s so hard about being the boss of a company? Morgan blew some hair out of her face while bouncing the back of her pencil on her lips. Her thoughts weren’t on calculous. Her mind was still lingering on what happened today and the annoying headache seemingly burning her last two brain cells. Tired her hands rubbed her face. She reached to check on her phone, seeing a bunch of unread messages. Most consisted of memes her class mates had shared in their class chat. Her friend Harold thought of himself as particularly funny. Meanwhile he had no idea he was making a fool of himself most of the time. Without her noticing her thrown was replaced with smile; just like that.

“Come online! They patched in a new event :D ,“ Harold must have noticed her catching up with the group chat, since he just texted her. Morgan wasn’t in a particular mood to log onto the online game they had been playing together for some time now. She wasn’t very skilled at it, but it was fun and everyone at her school played it. It was a MMORPG set in a medieval era. She was in the same clan as Harold, but preferred to do most raids on her own, since it felt like the others were just holding her back.

“Nawh. I got homework -_-. Sry…” Morgan quickly texted back before at least trying to get into the right head space to do math. All those numbers were just nonsense to her, that’s why she doodled flowers on the blank page instead of anything resembling formulas. Frustrated Morgan pushed herself in the chair away from the desk almost in the middle of her room. She spun around herself keeping her eyes on the ceiling. Her mind drifted back to Sentinel. She wished she could just take him home with her. It broke her heart whenever she had to leave him behind. She wondered if he understood why things had to be this way. He might not have understood everything word by word, but her emotions were sufficient enough to communicate her point.

 

“Daydreaming again ?…Wait it’s night…is it still daydreaming then?” Morgan turned in the chair. She appeared almost startled by the sight of the familiar red vigilantly swinging through the window inside the room. Morgan broke his ramble by simply hugging him tight and Peter returned the gesture. He took his mask off and beamed at Morgan. They both had the same mischievous expression on their faces.

“Mum told me you are back…” Morgan still held onto him resting her head on his chest. Peter simply brushed her hair back. He was glad to see her again. He had missed her. Morgan would never admit it out loud, but she felt the same. To her Peter was her older, but not wiser brother. Her eyes only showed admiration for Peter, who gestured towards the window with a smirk. It was time of a nightly rooftop-milk-shake; it had been way too long. Frankly Peter knew one or two good spots around town.

“Yep. Hop on.” Peter crouched a little so Morgan could jump on his back for a piggy back ride. However, Spider-Man didn’t simply walk around town. That would be boring. The teen didn’t hesitate and did as he said.

“Grab a jacket or something. It’s cold.” His mask now back over his face, Peter turned to face Morgan who huffed in annoyance. She wasn’t a little kid anymore and it if she became sick she had reason enough to stay off school. Mumbling under her breath, Morgan dug up a sweater from the pile of clothes on the floor besides her bed. She pulled it over her head while Peter crossed his arms, pretending to look at his watch.

“Time is Money, Mrs. Stark. I am the oh so busy CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company.” He joked mocking the way seasoned businessmen talked. Morgan laughed at his impression. She tried a similar silly voice,

“Well Well Mr. Parker. Do I have to remind you that even Rome wasn’t built in a day?” Morgan wiggled her head as she spoke the last few phrases to emphasize. She rested her hands on her hips while leaning forward. There was a moment of silence between them before both burst into hearty laughter. Peter stopped as he picked up the noise of someone, probably Pepper, stepping towards Morgan’s room. He grabbed Morgan and swiftly swung out the window with her. Morgan could barely supress her laughter.

“Mum’s gonna kill us.” Morgan explained with a chuckle, while clinging tightly onto Peter like a monkey. Her hair flowed in the wind as Peter focused on doing his swings. Having such powers, as Peter does would be so cool. Although her mum probably bargained with the universe to not give her any special abilities so Morgan would keep as far away as possible from the whole superhero business.

“Morgan Stark! You come back here right now!” No one less than Pepper shouted from the window. She paced in front of it like an upset mother would. Peter was already counting the seconds, until Karen would inform him about Pepper’s call. He kept swinging, postponing the worry for when he brought Morgan back home. The worst thing that could happen, is that Pepper fires him from his job, for kidnapping her daughter for a nightly trip around the block. Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad. He would just be Spider-Man full time. Right now he was just a quarter timer with how much other things had taken priority in his life. Fortune for him, Doreen helped him get his priorities just right. There was a strong focus on Work-Life-Spider-Man balance.

“God save us from the wrath of Pepper Potts.” Peter answered with a fake whimper, even though he knew how unpleasant Pepper could be when it came to her daughter. He couldn’t fault her for it. Not at all, but he believed a little fun outside of Pepper’s comfort zone was good for Morgan from time to time. Sometimes it seemed like Pepper was actively shielding her daughter from the truth that is her daughter heritage. Eventually Morgan’s fortune will be shaped by the legacy her father left behind. Morgan kept laughing out loud, almost mockingly. She had no ill feelings towards her mother, but sometimes having a little bit more control over her own life would be beneficial. There was a time when Morgan believes her mom was allergic to anything fun or mildly dangerous.

 

She stopped her laughter and held her breath. Morgan reminded herself how she felt today when Sentinel got hurt. It was nothing serious, but the guilt overshadowed her confidence to act responsible. If Sentinel had been gravely injured, she would have never forgiven herself for it. Peter noted her sudden silence and landed on a nearby rooftop.

“You okay?” He asked. His hazel eyes aimed right at Morgan who bit her lip. She gave herself away immediately with that gesture. Through the years, Peter had learned to read people’s body language. His sharpened senses told him, Morgan’s body temperature had risen, which is reflected in her ears changing to a redder taunt.

“Sure…” Morgan’s voice trailed off, while she walked towards the edge of the rooftop. Now that her face was out of Peter’s view, she actually let a grimace slip over her features. Could she tell Peter about Sentinel? Should she tell him? Would he understand? There was a chance Peter already knew about him anyways, at least the blue prints for the project. Her dad had kept most of his experimental stuff in the garage of their lake house. Not a particularly safe place to store possibly lethal tec.

“Listen, I am sorry I wasn’t here for you…” Peter approached her. His suit disappeared completely, leaving Peter in his usual clothes. Morgan had not taken the news well, when Peter was declared CEO of Stark Industries. To her it meant, they couldn’t spend as much time together anymore. Her hero would just be caught up in mind numbing work all day, all week, just like her mum. Peter had no idea, what really was on Morgan’s mind. It wasn’t their estranged relationship.

“…but now I am,” Peter thought he could fill the void left by the loss of her father. The truth was, that he simply couldn’t be everything he was. It would never the sufficient, but he wouldn’t stop trying. Morgan slowly turned around to reveal her watery eyes and trembling lips. A cold shiver went over Peter’s body. Almost automatically her wrapped his arms around Morgan. All the hurt she must be experiencing could have been so easily avoided, if he just had been there to catch her. He rested his cheek on her head after placing a soft kiss on her head.

“Can we get milkshakes now? They are closing soon.” Morgan mumbled into his shirt and then beamed up at him. Surprised Peter nodded and petted her head.

“Sure. You can have all the milkshakes in the world.” He smiled softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! That was a wild ride (ehheheh) 
> 
> As always thanks for reading! Maybe a few of you would like to leave a comment or a kudo? I also appreciated silent followers and readers just as much! :) If you would like to discuss the story, feel free to DM me.


	6. Duality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Yeah...it's me. I am still alive apparently. I got out of my writing block and remembered to work on this story. I can only express my gratefulness for all the kudos, comments and follows through inflatious amounts of thank you's!
> 
> So let's hope this chapter makes you just as excited as me :D

* * *

 

**Chapter 5: Duality**

 

All fears and the pressure on Morgan’s frail shoulders seemed to suddenly disappear once she took the first sip from the mango-banana milkshake in her hands. Of course, like always she had ordered a whopping liter of the stuff and Peter’s wallet suffered for it. Her curious eyes kept on Peter who apparently begrudgingly got out his wallet.

Behind the counter the cashier just stared blankly, while Peter gave the coin pocket inside his purse a good shake. Morgan internally face palmed, wanting to sink into the ground. If there was one thing she hated about Peter, it was his habit of using all his change to pay. They have had a lot of arguments about why he does it. Like the weight of the coins slows down his velocity when swinging. Even with her limited knowledge of Spider-Man physics Morgan uncovered the clear lie. Meanwhile Peter still laid out coins on the countertop. Had there been any more customers inside the shop, the cashier would have probably sent Peter to hell after the first penny. He hummed calmly in between counting.

Morgan watched him for a further moment, before she snatched the wallet from him. It’s didn’t trigger his Spider-Sense, however Peter threw a surprised huff at the teen. At this point, Peter would have been playing with everyone’s patience. Unfazed by this, Morgan draws a 100 dollar bill and places it on the counter. Glaring at Peter once, she turned and left the shop wordless. Peter wondered if he had to change something about his attitude. It had been the second time a woman had bested him today. What a push over.

“Ermm…k-keep the change.” Peter had tried to make the situation less cringy by dismissively waving his hand and stirring to follow Morgan. His try-hard cool guy act was broken, once he realized he had forgotten his own shake. Embarrassed he went back and swiftly grabbed it, but not without experiencing one more pain inducing eye contact with the cashier. Now Peter wanted to sink into the ground. He didn’t feel so good.

 

Outside Morgan had already placed herself on a wooden bench in the park on the opposite of the street. After having survived another embarrassing situation Peter didn’t feel like starting up a conversation with Morgan. Luckily the teen had no intent of mocking him about it, which appeared off to Peter. Morgan could be a smart ass from time to time, but not this time. She just preferred to silently bib her drink. Peter wasn’t in the position to make any assumptions about her current emotional state. He had been out of her life for too long. Still his gut wrenched at the thought of her hurting.

“Morgan…what’s wrong?” Peter’s face knitted as he asked the question. Morgan, who sat beside him, pulled her knees close to her chest. A normal reaction for someone who had something to hide. Peter should have known Morgan wouldn’t open up to him so easily. He hadn’t thought this through at all; he just wanted to know what her breakdown earlier and her current frustrated nibbling on the straw was about. Morgan only answered with stubborn silence.

“Morgan!” Peter ripped the cup from her hands, so she would pay attention to him. Her chocolate eyes went wide as he snapped at her. She could tell Peter was fed up with her antics.  
An apologetic sigh leaves her mouth. Peter had already regretted what he did. In his frustration he had almost crunched the cup. Morgan had rarely seen Peter like this; It dawned on her that she wasn’t the only one with some built up anguish.

Slowly Peter put down the cup. He turned his gaze, too ashamed to face Morgan. His shoulders slumped forward, as if he had lost his strength. He was a disappointment to Morgan. How could he be her shoulder to cry on when he didn’t even know how to work through his own issues.

“Come on!” Morgan got up from the bench and offered her hand to Peter. He answered with a brief expression of confusion but took the offer. She held onto his hand tightly as she dragged him after her.

“Where are we going?” Peter asked as he tried to keep pace with her. Morgan could move fast once she had her mind set onto something. Morgan kept walking not really carrying that Peter had a harder time dodging people on the busy side walk.

“I gotta show you something.” Morgan’s voice trailed off at the end of her sentence. Her pace slowed down as if she wasn’t so sure about her plan anymore but would go through with it anyways. Peter’s thrown was now replaced by a smile. He checked his watch and realized it was already late. If he didn’t have Morgan home by midnight, he really would have to worry about feeling the wrath of a furious mother. He could consider himself lucky, that the Iron Legion lead by Rescue herself, wasn’t chasing him around town already. It probably wasn’t a good idea to have the Iron Legion reactivated if they could be used against, him, but he thought giving Edith’s troops a face could be beneficial to the public’s trust in the system to keep them save. Anything goes if Iron Man’s name is attached to it. The drones or even Edith could never replicate the unmatched intuition their creator displayed in even in the direst of situations.

 

They pass by a tower that made all other sky scrapers pale in comparison. It once illuminated the night sky with a symbol of hope. However, the light was gone, replaced by memories cast in shadow. Faint voices of the past drowned out the by sound of rain tapping against the glass façade. Peace reigned supreme in the last decade. There was no need for heroes to unite and band together as Avengers. None needed the Avengers anymore. They have just become another artefact of history, just like Avengers Tower had.

“I don’t know if you like getting soaked…” Morgan offered Peter a place under her umbrella. He stared at her deer eyed and swallowed. It took him a moment to come back to the here and now. He pressed his lips into a straight line. Morgan tilted her head confused, before she noticed the former Avengers Tower behind Peter. It was so high it was impossible to see the top of it. Morgan had only heard stories and read books about the Avengers.

“Apparently some big corporation bought it…” Morgan started her sentence. Peter turned to look at it once again. Aside from real estate value, there wasn’t much to the now run-down tower anymore. None had cared for it in years. Not even the city of New York was interested in sustaining it as a cultural monument.  
“Umm…the company is called something with an O-“ Morgan rubbed the back of her head trying hard to remember. She had only caught a glimpse of the newspaper when that story broke. The only thing she clearly had memorized was the face of a man placed by the picture of the tower on the spread. A middle-aged man, maybe in his early fifties. He could have been the boss of the company for all she knows. Certainly this his expression had been quite unsettling in a way that made him not seen human.

There was only one corporation that had been fending for shares of the East Coast market for years with Stark Industries; Oscorp. Their financial gains had marginally increased before they bought out Hammer Industries and all it’s customer contracts. A new shiny headquarter would go along nicely with their plan to appear like the next big thing on the horizon. Unlike SI, they main business branch is in the public security and crime prevention. Just a nice wording for developing and selling weapons of mass destruction. Something SI had turned away from a long time ago. The company went back to its roots after Tony’s decision to dismantle the weapons program. Renewable energy and infrastructure development could be considered Stark Industries main focus now.

“Yeah, Oscorp.” Peter rubbed his eyes tiredly just thinking how much of a pain Oscorp will be to deal with in the future.  Peter got alerted by the signal traveling into Morgan’s phone and the following buzzing. Checking the display, she rolled her eyes into oblivion. This was the signature gaze a teen gave when their parents calls were unwanted. Morgan hesitated to pick up, dreading what will follow. Peter just nodded his head for her to pick up and took hold of the umbrella.

 

“Mum?” Morgan held her other hand over her ear to hear properly, since the street noise almost drowned out the phone speakers. Without really paying attention to the rain Morgan paced back and forth. The teen endured the armageddon that was her mother’s aggravation for going on a nightly swing-out and chill (as Morgan and Peter call it), instead of finishing her homework. Morgan led her Mum bicker on and on about college and being grounded into a high security prison if she isn’t home in a blink of an eye. And how dangerous it would be if someone saw her with Peter dressed as Spider-Man for them both. Morgan could kind of understand the last part, but she didn’t give a damn about college. There was never a good time to think about it, since it just triggered her in so many ways.

Because of his heightened hearing Peter had no problem with listening in on their conversation. He felt guilty for eves dropping and bringing Morgan in this situation in the first place. There were no enhanced senses necessary to notice how tense Morgan had gotten through their conversation. He knew what it was like to deal with the pressure others bestowed upon you. Pepper only wanted the best for Morgan, but it seemed like the two had a very different vision for that. There was no way to get Morgan out of that situation. It was a thing she had to sit through herself.

Paying his attention back to the tower Peter found a pair of eerie eyes staring back at him from above. Their glow made them stand out from the tower dipped into the shadows of that rainy night. Eventually the moon broke free from the coverage of the clouds to reveal a mechanical body standing on the glass of the tower. It kept starring at Peter who narrowed his eyes. For all he knew it could be a malfunctioning Iron Legion Drone.

“Karen? Could you give me info on that drone?” Peter whispered to his AI, who promptly replied. The shadowy figure sternly kept Peter in its sight. The night sky made it difficult to make out the figure clearly.

“I have no information. This is not an Iron Legion Drone.” Karen dryly replied. Peter peaked over his shoulder to see Morgan still on the phone with her Mom and kicking into a puddle annoyed.

“What is it then?” Peter asked in a more impatient and nervous voice. He scanned the area to find a way to suit up without anybody seeing it. With surveillance cameras everywhere these days he had to be especially careful to find a blind spot.

Everything seemed to slow down, as the mysterious figure raised their arm to reveal the glowing palm of their hand. The glowing spark inside its chest made it even more evident, that this was not a drone. Iron Legion Drones are not equipped with any type of weaponry or any plentiful power source.

“An arc reactor!?” Peter realized how serious the situation was. For now, he hoped his mind was just playing tricks on him; that he was just imagining things. The shadow aimed its weapon not at him but a few feet away. Peter spun around to grab Morgan in an act of pure intuition. As his body impacted hers, she dropped her phone into the sewer beside the tree they took cover by. Peter pulled Morgan behind the tree and held her close, making sure she was silent.

Clearly the shadow had no intention of causing much attention. It seemed like he was just sent to take out Morgan. Filtering out the noise if it’s mechanical body, Peter tracked his movement’s away from the tower towards them. Morgan protested in his arms, as muffled demands silenced by his hand escaped her mouth.. The rain had helped cover their heat signature somewhat but not enough for them to stay hidden.

 

“Someone is after you.” Peter whispered into Morgan’s ear and a cold shower goes down her spine. Icy sweat builds up on her temples, as standing in the rain felt like baking in the desert sun. Peter held Morgan tightly, so she wouldn’t just run away out of fear. He noticed movement in the corner of his eye. In every sense of the word they were trapped. There still were too many people for Peter to suit up unseen. His best bet at this point was to stall for time and get the people in the street and park to safety.

“Karen, we need a distraction. Get these people out of here.” Peter ordered his AI. The clonking movements of the figure closing in on them caused Peter to clench Morgan even tighter. The needed to bail once the coast is clear.

“Of course, Peter.” Karen answered and a split second later all street light’s died. Karen had hacked herself into the traffic system to buy Peter some time to suit up. His arms stayed around Morgan while he turned. Morgan had her back now against the tree and Peter’s face was slowly being covered by the suit. He gave her a reassuring smile. The Spider-Drone in his chest attached itself to Morgan. She was still shaking not able to grasp what was happening. Her fear washed over her face with hot tears. Peter rested his hand on her head, trying to calm her.

Soon the Iron Legion arrived to take care of the situation. Their job for now was to evacuate the area. However, the assassin was having none of it. Instead of simply taking out the drones, the menace decided to attack the people on the street, knowing it would lure them out.  Their screams cut through the rain like a knife, followed by the defining sounds of explosions. Peter was relieved to see there were no casualties yet, but the Iron Legion was taking a lot of the damage. Their programming made it so, that they would use their bodies to shield civilians if necessary. Sirens blared as police arrived on the scene, but even they had a hard time getting the situation under control.

“Morgan…listen to me.” Peter’s face appeared again as the mask disappeared. His eyes looked warmly into hers. Morgen didn’t understand how he could stay this calm; however, Peter’s heart was beating just as fast as hers, pumped with adrenaline.

“You got to hold onto me now and whatever happens, you let go whenever I tell you. Understood?” Peter explained to her and she just grabbed onto him while nodding. She wasn’t able to form any snarky reply or word at all. Suddenly her heart sank, thinking the last conversation she had with her mother was an argument. A pretty heated one for that. She buried her face in Peter’s chest while he shot his first net, towards the top of a building on the opposite of the street. His only hope was that the bad guy would fall for the bait and follow them. Morgan yelped at he launched them off the ground away from the tree. He made sure to shield Morgan from any possible impacts.

 

As they made their getaway, Peter got a clear glimpse of the black figure. It wasn’t just an Android; it was a person in black armoured suit. A suit powered by an arc reactor. The resemblance to the Iron Legion drones around it was uncanny. The persons stare fell back on them, as if he had locked them in as a target, while he blasted a bunch of drones and police cars without even looking. The police had him surrounded but it didn’t impress the enemy at all. He was a hunter and the only thing he cared about was his prey.

Peter’s suit analysed the energy level of the enemy and it was beyond anything he had seen before. It would take an insane long time to drain that power, so that wasn’t an option. First, he had to think about a way to get Morgan to safety. He swung through the Manhattan streets as fast he could to get as much distance between them and their tormentor as possible. He was a fast swinger, but not fast enough to outrun an arc powered suit on that level.

“We got company. 250 feet. Behind us.” Karen informed, but Peter didn’t dare to take a glimpse. Morgan’s hands pinched into his suit like her desperate attempts to cling to any hope of getting through all of this unscathed.

Peter didn’t have to look to realized there was a projectile coming for them. He had spent quite some time on developing his Spider-Sense and utilizing its potential to the fullest. Karen helped him navigate through the skyscraper canyon that is Manhattan. Morgan saw the projectile approach behind them. She pressed her face into the space between Peter’s neck and shoulder, screaming.

“Morgan…let go. It’s okay.” Peter told her as he softly as he loosened his grip on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! You made it this far! Thanks for reading :) <3
> 
> Don't forget to leave some comments and maybe tell how you are liking the story so far :)  
> If you like to be kept updated on the story and want more content, follow me on tumblr. I have decided to make a tag list so you guys get notified immediatly!  
> My tumblr is: pixeltrix-13.tumblr.com
> 
> This is it for now guys :)


	7. Ashore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there,
> 
> So, I am happy to announce that I am done with chapter 6 (obviously)!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left kudos, faved or bookmarked. A special shout out to the awesome folks who left comments :) You guys are the best.
> 
> I am sorry I can't always update as fast, but I try to put out these chapters faster for your enjoyment!

**Chapter 6: Ashore**

Panic washed over her face when she felt herself slip out of Peter’s grasp. In a fit of irrationality Morgan’s hands clawed their way back around his torso. In her tunnel vision it seemed like to only sensible action to do. Her attempts to disobey her promise to Peter failed when he forcibly grabbed her and sent her falling downwards with a firm thrust of his arms.

Morgan’s hand reached out for him when she felt gravity catch up on her. The lights of the windows beside her rushed by so fast that they turned into a blur. Naturally she let out an earthshattering scream, when she felt her body tumble backwards. Morgan had no grasp on how far off she was from the ground. The wind blew past her ears so intensely she couldn’t even hear the traffic below. Her body spun in the air uncontrollably, but then she came to harsh stop; mid-air.

 

Peter spread his arms to utilize the wing membrane spreading from his wrists to his hip. The wing’s nanotech attached itself forward to his wrists within a split second. The Hudson was near his position, so he decided to would be best to take this chase to the water out of the city. No buildings, no cover, no ground to stand on; the perfect fighting arena for a wall crawler.

He might have been wrong to assume the enemy was after Morgan, when Karen confirmed the guy was still chasing after him. A new theory popped into his mind. Peter dodged a dozen more yellow projectiles before reaching the river.

“You should get back above solid ground. You are losing momentum fast.” Karen informed, when upwind brought Peter’s flight to an abrupt slowdown.

“Ahh sh-“ Peter bit his lip as he felt himself drop instead of glide. The wind had caused a stall and now he was falling like a sack of potatoes. Resourceful as he is, he turned and aimed his web shooter at his follower. The fluid shot out of the capsule becoming solid when meeting the air. The hair thin strands attached themselves to the chest of the pursuers suit, right where the arc reactor resides. The sudden tug of three times of Peter’s weight from the fall obviously made the shadow stop.

He hovered above the water, so Peter barely touched the river with his foot. He looked down to see the spider dangling.

“Hello there.” Peter waved in classical Spider-Man fashion. It was just to calm himself, since he knew the guy could blast him with one shot. And the guy had every intent to switch off Peter’s lights.

“Nice suit. Did you build it yourself…or steal it?” Peter narrowed his eyes taking a closer looking at the design of the suit. In the background Karen was trying to analyse any possible weaknesses. However, she came to the conclusion that the suit was made of nano-tech as well, but it displayed a much higher density than any armour she had in her databank. The dense alignment of the outer shell’s nano-metal made it impossible for Karen to get a reading on the properties of the suit, except that it was made of a vibranium composite. It was as if it was an armour specifically designed to counter any surveillance. Luckily nothing could trick the good and reliable Spider-Sense.

“Make a guess.” The guy spoke up for the first time in a rather raspy threatening voice. From the tone in his words, Peter could tell that the guy had him just where he wanted him. Just in that moment the enemy thrust himself into full flight dragging Peter across the water, but he had no intention of letting go of the web string clenched in his hand. Instinctively Peter planted his feet on the seemingly solid water, as if it made a difference. It didn’t.

“You know, I have always wanted to try water skiing, but I imagined not like this.” Peter gasped as he struggled to stay upright and not fall forward. It wasn’t as easy as he had imagined. Peter let out a yelp as the black armour went even faster, which didn’t make Peter worry. What made him panic a little was the bridge ahead of them. At this rate Peter would crash right into the Pillar with full force. Wouldn’t be too nice if Police had to scrap him off the thing in the morning, so Peter made the decision to climb up the threat. The enemy tried to rip the cord off his chest, but the net had now reached it’s maximum stickiness.

“Hah! Have fun trying to get that off!” Peter laughed as he climbed further. Seemingly frustrated the guy flies up to gain height. Peter managed to protect his manly parts instead hitting his thigh. He screamed out in pain, as he hit the concrete of the bridge. Slowly gaining orientation back, he realized the armour right in front of him. Above in the sky, hovered a familiar looking helicopter. The flying annoyance belonged to none other than the ‘Daily Bugle’. Peter had to endure a lot of slender as CEO, but nothing topped the wordings that tab used for Spider-Man. Though sometimes it was amusing to read the next big lie about the ‘Red Menace’ as the lovingly called Spidey.

The guy raised his hand. In that moment Peter thought it was over, but then he simply used the laser in his wrist to cut the web off. He mockingly tossed it in Peter’s face. Peter meanwhile still held his acing thigh, though the adrenalin was thumping through his veins, it still hurt like hell. For now, the pain reigned supreme over his senses. It took away all his focus, virtually making his sixth sense useless.

 

“Pretty impressive.” The shadow crouched down to face Peter. Clearly the guy knew a lot more about him that Peter was comfortable with. It would be right up his alley for his foe to reveal some plot-twisting information right in front of the Daily Bugle’s cameras. His eyes kept on the orange light of the arc reactor. He had never seen anything like it. Its electro-magnetic waves were so intense it messed with his senses, even through the suit. It ringed in his ears and caused his eyes to water.

“What do you want?” Peter grunted facing the guy, while trying to get up. He could barely stand but it wouldn’t be a problem for long. The railing behind him was just perfect to lean on so Peter did.

“A lot of things.” The guy turned to face Peter bracing himself against the railing. He was panting, fighting the surges of pain originating from his thigh up to his hip. It was a dull type of pain, but it did require all of Peter’s mental capacity to not be his focus right now. His focus should be on that guy in front of him dressed in black armour. An impostor of Iron Man; someone who apparently spat on his legacy and Spider-Man would put a stop to it. Ever since this guy had tried to hurt Morgan, things got personal, but when he witnessed the arc reactor, that was the final straw.

“We could start with your job.” The mask turned emotionless and cold. Orange glowing eyes pierced into Peter for any reaction. Peter was at a loss for words, when it came to him, that he knew what his real identity was. His superhero façade began to crumble, as the fear of seeing his loved ones hurt crept up his spine. This inherit fear has always clouded his happiness, from the day he decided to take on the mantle of Spider-Man. Whatever he tried, he could never shake the feeling off and now, it was starring him right in the face.

“Well, I don’t know if your colour scheme fits the friendly neighbourhood superhero-persona.” Peter pretended to be cool about the conversation. Keeping up his Spider-Man act suddenly became harder to sustain. His body was visibly shaking, from his senses getting off the rails quickly.

“Quit the antics!” The guy’s metal hand reached out to grab Peter by the arm. He violently yanked Spider-Man away from the railing on the ground. Now a defenceless bug on his back, Peter simply put his arms up as a last resort. Even whilst performing the action, he felt himself to be too weak to come out victorious. He should be stronger than this, but he had no will to fight back. He had gotten used to just swallow his agony and move on. Being defence had always worked, why switch to the offensive now?

 

“Sheesh, and you are supposed to be the successor to Tony Stark?” Peter’s right arm twisted around his shoulder, breaking it cleanly, but Peter wouldn’t give his torturer the satisfaction of a desperate scream. He simply bit down on his lip hard enough to supress it into a barely audible yelp. More than his shoulder snapping, Peter heard the name Tony Stark echo inside his mind over and over. His body had stopped responding to his attempts to break himself free from the enemy’s treachery. The guy still held onto Peter’s wrist of the broken arm firmly, while pressing his metal food right onto his cheek, pinning him to the ground. Peter managed to raise his head a little bit, but the pain in his shoulder supressed anymore attempts.

“You are nothing, but a pathetic bug.” He twisted Peter’s wrist some more, just to finally hear the sweet sound of Peter’s screams. Fuelled by the pain he made a final attempt to break free, however it proved to futile. Powerless Peter counted the seconds until his head would be crushed. A tear ran down his bloodied face all hidden by the mask, when he declared himself defeated. The knowledge he just disappointed everyone who ever put faith into him, crushed him.

He felt his body being lifted into the air by his broken arm. It was so mangled only numbness replaced the burning pain. The spot light from the Daily Bugles helicopter stunned him, until his body eventually dipped into the river water. The stream of the river would dispose of him now. At least he went out knowing Morgan was save; knowing Aunt May had a secure future and other heroes were out there to save the world. That someone would be there to avenge his death. So, he let the void take over his mind and body, as he slowly drifted deeper into the blackness.

 

* * *

“There is no sign of him yet, Mrs. Potts.” Doreen was just as distressed as Mrs. Potts, whom she was talking to on the phone. Her eyes drifted to the back mirror of the car, though which none other than Happy Hogan eyeing her. They had been searching for Peter through the whole night. Dawn came upon New York and Doreen hoped her boss would be sleeping in his bed soundly, once they go back to his apartment.

“Yes, we will find him. Count on us…” Doreen hung up the phone and slid a few inches down in hear seat. As soon as she quit the call her phone got bombarded with news feeds, messages and missed calls from all types of people. Even the state governor of New York wanted to know what happened last night on that bridge. And if the state officials were being quiet the secret agencies began to call her phone to death. The PR department already had a Press release in the works to do some damage control, but it wouldn’t be long until people started to ask were Peter Parker is. And then the first conspiracy theorists (up front, the Daily Bugle) would make the connection that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

“The Daily Bugle footage shows Peter falling into the Hudson.” Happy commented wanting to get Doreen’s mind back on track. She visibly shook her head and looked to him. Her face knitted when the thought of Peter being dead came to her mind. Her phone almost slid out of her sweaty hands.

“Also, there is still hope, unless we find his corpse, which is highly unlikely.” In best Happy fashion he tried to calm Doreen. He had managed to bring May not to jump into the Hudson herself and search for her nephew, so calming this red headed assistant didn’t seem like a challenge. Despite all of his Happy, has rarely seen Peter get into a situation he couldn’t sling himself out of.

“Peter is though. Just imagine how funny it would be if we find him sleeping on a park bench or something.” Happy tried to tackle their worry with humour, which seemingly worked, since Doreen formed a small smile on her pale face.   
“Then I would whoop his ass, I tell you that. “

All kinds of scenarios formed inside Doreen’s head. Even if Peter had survived in the water, it’s likely a ship hit him. Of course, the police were on high alert to be on the lookout for any body’s in water. Doreen feels her body being slammed forward when Happy hit the brakes hard. The traffic was a nightmare to get through today. From her seat in the car Doreen spotted a squadron of Iron Legion Drones probably on the lookout for Peter. Apparently, they have a protocol programmed inside them to quit any regular activities if a priority task overwrites it. It was system just asked to be abused by the police department. Doreen assumed they can’t track Peter, since he had given his transmitter to Morgan, so she could be saved. He had sacrificed his only chance of being found in time, for someone else. Doreen had rarely heard about anything so selfless. It served as a grim reminder that heroes sometimes give themselves up, so others can persevere.

 

Finally, the traffic moved on and Happy found a proper parking spot. Doreen got out of the car and ran toward the river. She stopped by the railing and searched the surface of the water. Happy stopped beside her and did the same with a pair of binoculars. At this point it was more than likely, that he got washed ashore somewhere. As an enhanced individual, Peter had a higher chance of surviving in the freezing water, however it didn’t mean his time wasn’t limited.

“The seagulls…” Doreen narrowed her eyes as she watched the sea birds swarm by a particular spot. They flew cycles, seemingly in wait for prey. Occasionally landing to peck. Doreen grabbed Happy by the sleeve to get his attention on her observation. She bit her lip.

“I see…T-That’s him!” Happy let Doreen take a peek through the binoculars. She gave it back to and immediately charged to the wooden dock reaching out further to where Peter was. She had only seen his lower arm and hand holding onto a piece of wood. Determined she sprinted out towards the water. Happy tried to keep up with her. He quickly realized he couldn’t keep up with her. This was the moment he really felt too old for all of this, maybe he should just retire. That would be nice; Just hanging out at May’s café and being her desert tester all day long. What a live that would be.

All caught up in his thought about his oh so sweet retirement, Happy’s face made acquaintance with Doreen’s pumps, which she had apparently taken off mid run. The sheer force of the shoes impacting with his face, made Happy fall over on his back. As soon as he sat up again, Doreen’s blazer came flying to block his sight. He thought her perfume had a nice walnut smell.  

Reaching the end of the dock, Doreen made a mental note to herself, that it was a good idea to wear a skirt to work that day. Happy watched from a few feet behind. He was sure, she didn’t learn a perfect plunge and such a sophisticated swimming form in ‘assistant school’. Or maybe Pepper had required her to get some Navy Seal esque training regime to be able to act at any moment whenever her boss got into trouble. He couldn’t believe she just leaped, into the freezing cold torrent without even flinching. Quickly onlookers caught wind of the scene and of course they had to get their phones out immediately.

“Don’t worry guys. We are filming a Hollywood movie here. You are not allowed to film, or you will all be sued.” Happy tried to get the curious witnesses off the scene. All of them had already left to walked away, when the Iron Legion swooped in.

 

“Where have you guys been?” Happy asked the oblivious bots, who just stared at him like lost puppies. Many confused head tilts followed.

“Following Protocol 684373. Printing Park Tickets, Sir.”  The bots answered.

“Fetching Donuts for Captain Stacey.” One of them said, holding a big box of donuts and coffee. Happy knew he had to have a talk with the police department, what the intended use of the Iron Legion was.  
“Hold this.” Happy put Doreen’s shoes and jacked in the hands of one drone. He went down to the doc to find Doreen already on her way back to the sore. She had her arms locked tightly around Peter and swam in a backwards manner towards land.

“I got you.” Doreen repeated between her breaths. Her cheek pressed against Peter’s as she held him close to her chest. His suit might have only delayed the inevitable, because his cheek felt freezing cold against hers. Her hands pressed against his rib cage. Relief washed over her like the water, when she finally felt his heart beat. He would be okay or so she thought.

“Doreen! Catch!” She looked up to an orange and white coloured life ring above her. It landed right beside them in the water. She first carefully put it over Peter. Getting him out of there was her priority. During that she noticed the extent of his injuries. The result of the torture was evident on Peter’s pale face. His lips were almost as blue as the water. Time truly was a luxury they didn’t have.

Doreen raised her arm for the guys ashore to know when to start pulling them in. The Iron Legion lined up to pull the rope with Happy. She held onto the ring facing Peter. Her hand reached to brush his hair out of his face. That’s got somewhat of a response out of him. He simple grunt escaped his lips along with a shallow breath.   
  
What kind of a monster must the person be who did this to him? Was this the gruesome reality of being a hero?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! 
> 
> Tell me what you thought about the chapter. It's really fun to bring in different aspects of the Marvel Universe, be it the MCU or the Comics. I actually want the Daily Bugle to be a kind of side antagonist, who pop up here and there. What did you think of Happy and the Iron Legion ?
> 
> Leave your thoughts bellow :)


	8. Meaning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Evening / Day
> 
> Once again thanks for the feedback! I am really hyped to keep this story going. I promise you,  
> I will see this through to the end, meaning I really want to finish this story 
> 
> So please, enjoy!

  **Chapter 7: Meaning**

“Here you go.” Doreen leaned forward when she offered the teary-eyed woman, who seems to want to chain herself to Peter’s bedside, a warm cup of coffee. Nothing in the world would stop May from staying, right where she was.

Not hunger or thrust, nor sleep could bring her to not be there when he finally woke up. It seemed as if every fibre of her being only held love for her boy. Doreen had almost forgotten what it was like to receive such unkindled love from a parent.

“It is nothing compared to your coffee.” Doreen handed her the cup and May took it with a nod.

The hint of a smile came across her tired features. She reached out to hold Peter’s intact arm and softly stroke her thumb across the back of his hand. Being asleep like this made everything a lot more comfortable for Peter, however none was sure what will happen once he woke up.

“I also brought this.” Doreen explained, setting down a duffle bag with some stuff Peter might need. She set it down on the table on the opposite to where May was sitting. The woman carefully studied Doreen’s movement’s in the room.

To an outsider Doreen might look a little too calm for the situation at hand, but she had learned to control her emotions, when the situation demanded it. It was hard enough to contain herself when, she went into Peter’s home to get the basics. When she looked over at the bed, she didn’t see her boss or Spider-Man, but simply a young man suddenly broken by an evil, her mind couldn’t comprehend.

“Thank you.” May beamed at Doreen, who carefully walked a little closer. It was the first time she got a good glimpse at Peter’s face, since she pulled him out of the water. Aside from a few nasty brushes, it wasn’t too bad. The x-ray fortunately didn’t reveal any fractures in his skull or jaw.

However, that guy really did some work on Peter’s left arm. A dozen fractures from wrist to shoulder, turned the x-ray into a jigsaw puzzle, more than anything. The doctors relocated his shoulder during the first surgery to stabilize the bones in his arm. Thankfully because of Peter’s enhanced healing properties, his recovery should be twice as fast as a normal person.

Some things could be predicted based on the damage, while others still were variables clouded in mystery. The more Doreen thought about; the worse it got. It was truly sickening to know there might be a chance Peter could have suffered permanent brain damage from having been submerged in the water for so long.

She didn’t catch herself starring at his asleep body. The cast around his arm only left out the tips of his fingers. A cast seemed a little outdated, but the doctor’s explained it to still be the best method to immobilize it from any sudden unwanted movement.

“I dread the moment, he will wake up.” May admitted as she broke the silence between them. Peter appeared so peaceful, in his asleep state, although it would turn into torment and pain once he regained consciousness. Not primarily physical pain, but it is safe to assume his mind will go haywire.

Doreen stayed silent, since she had no clear idea what to say. She had no intention of soothing May’s pain, which she barely understood herself, with the typical figures of speech. She fiddled with the buttons of her jacket.

“It’s scary.” Doreen looked to the ground. She looked up to see May glaring at her. May wondered if Doreen had some insight, she did not have. None knew, who rescued Peter out of the Hudson, since Doreen had Happy vow to not tell anyone. Only he and Mrs. Potts know.

She felt dirty for keeping it a secret from May. Doreen thought it to better none knew, that she was more like Peter, than she would like to admit.

In all these years, May never doubted the fact that Peter could get hurt. And it happened; a lot. Although nothing came close to this. There were the occasional brushes and cuts. By the time the next day broke, they would have already disappeared once he climbed out of bed. His patrols rarely left any lasting marks on him.

“Feel free to call me, if something comes up.” Doreen moved back around besides May. Right now, Doreen wouldn’t be much help here. Her duty was to keep the chaos at SI at bay. To keep the fabricated story of why Peter is not available alive in front of the employee’s and the press. It just seemed everything in the universe had turned against Peter properly fulfilling his job as CEO.

This was the type of situation the board probably had hoped for, so they can vote Peter out of the company for their agendas. Luckily Mrs. Potts was there to vouch for Peter, with her and Morgan’s shares of the company, which together didn’t reach the majority cap. However a tough business woman like her was at least able to strategize a sufficient stall for Peter to return.  

“You know it, don’t you?” May’s words stopped Doreen in her tracks, and she tilted her head. Before Doreen could answer May swallowed and continued;  
“That Peter is Spider-Man?”

“Yes, I do.” Doreen couldn’t keep eye contact.  There simply was no reason to lie or dodge the question. It was obvious from the start, that Doreen was in on all of this, why else would she be allowed in this S.H.I.E.L.D facility?

May gasped a little surprised but then nodded in understanding.

“You are just like him.” May smiled softly and closed her eyes in relief. Surprised, Doreen let go of the door handle, which she had already grasped. She half-turned once again and smiled herself. To May it appeared like a blessing for Peter to have someone at his side who, knows all about being unlike everyone else.

“I am afraid you are mistaken, Mrs. Parker.” Doreen answered stepping out the door and leaving the two to themselves. May sighed once more. Her eyes drifted back to focus on Peter. He could breathe on his own, which in turn was a good sign, he would come to soon.

“I guess she needs to learn the same lesson, you had to learn such a long time ago.” May kept holding Peter’s hand. Her gentle smile faded into a slight thrown, when she noticed his eye lids twitching. She assumed he was dreaming. Hopefully it was nothing like the nightmare he just went through.

 

* * *

 

 

Outside she hesitated to walk away. Her back still pressed against the door, as she took a deep breath. Maybe she was overreacting, and May was only referring to a personality thing. Or maybe the part of herself, she was trying so hard to hide had surfaced already. She loathed herself for this. Soon everyone would know what a freak she truly was.

She was not like Peter; never had been; never will be. Yes, it was true. She is not a normal person; far from it. Unlike most who are blessed with a special ability, Doreen chose not in embrace it. There was neither pride nor glory, only a monster lurking beneath the surface.

Her masquerade was already cracking. Nothing struck more fear into her heart. Her chest clenched tightly around her lungs, making it hard to breathe. Only desperate wheezing escaped from her mouth, as Doreen moved towards the end of the hallway.

She practically fell through door outside of the building. It took a few seconds for her to reorientate and remember where she was. They had brought Peter here, once he was stable enough to be moved. The base was located near New York in the countryside. Someone like Peter had no business being in a normal hospital.

There were many reasons to keep him here. He would be safe here. No annoying press to take care of, nor any potential threat to spoil his identity as Spider-Man. The mysterious figure had no chance of getting a hold of him.

Her thoughts caused Doreen to wander aimlessly into the nearby forest. It was as if some invisible force was pulling her towards this place. As her ears picked up the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the calm wind, her heartbeat slowed down. Her hand brushed over the bark of a tree, as she stopped in her tracks. Doreen had always had a special connection with the forest.

It felt more like home to her than any house could ever. There were no walls, no windows to confine her. The strangling chains of the society she tried to live in suddenly were no more. No attitude or façade to keep alive. It was just her, the trees and the animals.

Doreen settled on a rock and folded her hands over her lap. Her ginger curls fell over her face, when she lowered her head. The guilt she experienced over not being present when Peter and Morgan needed her help was gut wrenching. Only she could fail her first assignment within the first day.

She would never be worthy of fulfilling the task put upon her. Her face was covered by her hands to catch the tears. Leaning forward she felt a small weight pull her neck down. Removing her hands from her face, Doreen saw her necklace dangling in front of her face above her lap.

The silver star pendent sparkled in the soft sun light shinning through the tree crowns. Doreen held it in her hand and whipped the tears form her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. Seeing the pendent, sparked the urge in her to keep going.

She couldn’t quit now. Peter needed her. Her mission wasn’t fulfilled yet. There was still so much to do. Doreen got up from the rock and held the star tightly in her hand.

“Don’t worry. I will do whatever it takes.” Her gaze aimed to the sky above. Her confident smile faded, once she realized what just happened; the family she once had was long gone. They would never come back to embrace her in their arms. However only the faint memory of the feeling gave her the strength to recommit finding meaning anew.

 

* * *

 

 

Both of them punished each other with utter silence. Morgan mostly starred out the window and occasionally dared a glance into the back mirror of the car to see Happy. She huffed and puffed up her cheeks.

Pepper, who was sitting beside her, immediately picked up on her daughters fit of frustration. Morgan wasn’t the type to be hung up on teenage mood swings, however this was different.

All that had happened in the last night, seemed to have finally settled in her mind. No wonder; a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent went over the incident with her over and over again, for hours, until Pepper decided to pull the plug on the whole thing and call it a day for her daughter. Enough was enough.

She would no longer sit idly by while Morgan was being tormented by the repercussions of superheroing. That was a life Pepper had tried so hard to keep Morgan away from, but there was no way she could forbid Morgan from seeing Peter, whom unfortunately was all aboard being a masked vigilante.

“Can I visit Peter?” Morgan asked, oblivious to the fact, how intense the injuries he had sustained actually were. Pepper turned her head and Happy responded with a nervous look. With ease the teen picked up on the tension.

“Morg-“ Pepper’s attempt to reason with her quickly puffed out.

“Stop dodging my questions! I have a right to know what is going on! We- just…grabbed milk shakes and wanted to have a good time…and this guy comes and attacks us!” Morgan visibly shook from reliving the traumatizing event in her mind.

The echoes from the blasts and the sound of the shadows mechanical movements were burned into her mind. Those piercing yellow eyes followed her every move in her dreams, forging them into nightmares.

“I don’t understand…” Tears came rolling down Morgan’s cheeks, while Pepper reached out and simply embraced her. It was the first time in a long while, that Pepper had the chance to embrace her daughter like this. She just wished the circumstances were different.

Pepper knew all too well, how Morgan must feel. To just be caught up in these situations, were no human strength or intuition would be sufficient. The feeling of losing control of your circumstances and just be able to plead for salvation from this nightmare.

Morgan pressed her face into Pepper’s chest and clung to her mother. Pepper wished she could give Morgan the answers she so desperately needed; however, they were just as much in the dark about what happened as Morgan.

It was deeply disturbing to know there was a person equipped with an Iron Man suit out on a man hunt for either Morgan or Peter. From all the good the ark technology did, one could forget that it was neither good nor evil. The user alone, decided what to utilize it for.

Until now Pepper had been successful with hiding the Daily Bugle footage of the fight on the bridge between Peter and the Shadow from her daughter. It wasn’t as much a fight as it was torture for Peter. A display of pure evil.

Even through the Daily Bugles, head reporter’s bickering, J. Jonah Jamerson, the snapping of Peter’s wrist and shoulder was clearly audible. It all seemed like an attempt to strike fear into the people hearts. Someone was trying to twist Iron Man’s legacy into something despicable.

Its broke Pepper’s heart to see Tony’s invention turned into a doomsday device and now was hurting those he gave his life for. It already had a crack at Peter, which was bad enough. Pepper’s thoughts went into a downward spiral, while she petted Morgan’s had. There simply was no way, Morgan would be safe from now on. Morgan felt her mother loosen her grip on her.

Just as Happy brought the car to a hold, Morgan seized the moment. She pushed herself from the car seat towards the door. Her hand reached for the door handle. Just a split-second later Morgan was out the car but not before having grabbed her backpack.

“Hey! Where do you think you are going!?” Pepper grabbed her arm, but Morgan tore herself from her grip. Morgan had never seen so much raw emotion in her mother’s eyes. She hesitated outside the car for a moment.

The gaze Morgan gave Pepper just appeared all too familiar to the elder woman. Morgan blew some hair of her face with a huff before slamming the door shut. Pepper flinched back followed by Happy sighing.

“Just don’t.” Pepper crossed her arms, as Happy raised his arms in innocence. He didn’t have to voice what he was thinking.

It was nothing new that Morgan apparently had inherited the Stubborn Stark gene. Pepper watched her daughter slowly fade into the crowd on the sidewalk. She just hoped nothing stupid would pop into Morgan’s head.

 

* * *

 

 

In darkness two faint yellow eyes glowed more intensely. A symphony of other lights came alive right after coating the otherwise dark room in a wash of light. Eventually all shadows vanished when the overhead strip lights came alive.

“Ark Reactor disengaged, suit offline.” A robotic voice announced, as if it had spoken the words a thousand times before. The yellow eyes were no longer present; replaced with dull blue eyes staring at the bright light above them.

Not even they could bring back the life in the eyes. The black metal shell, so called armour, disappeared to reveal the body of a young man.

“Time to wake up.” A different voice seemingly spoke from above. It was like an eerie presence lurking in the unseen. It the person with the lifeless eyes incentive to rise into a sitting position on the cold metal table. His sweaty hands gripped the edge of the table, while he tried his best to breathe steadily.

The immense burn in his chest eventually became too great to bare. As if it could ease his agony, he reached to lay his hand over the Ark Reactor imbedded into his chest. He lowered his head, only for his blonde hair to cast a shadow over his face.

He grimaced towards the floor, in which he could almost see his reflection.

“What is that face…You performed perfectly on your first assignment.” The voice commented as he got up from the table. Even before taking his first step, he lost his balance and tripped over.

He could barely catch himself to prevent a fall. He grunted. He certainly didn’t feel his age. Looking like you are in your mid-twenties, doesn’t mean you feel like it.

“Parker isn’t dead yet...” He simply groaned as he found his footing again. Getting rid of Peter only was the first step to reaching their goal. With the slow pace they were going at, it would take a lifetime to fulfil their plan. He was losing his patience.

On that bridge he could have easily blasted off Spider-Man’s head right then and there. The whole world would have watched one of their heroes perish on life television.

How bitter-sweet.

Grudgingly, he used a crutch to press on towards the desk a few steps away. He had to internally laugh at himself.

How pathetic.

He had practically become one with a machine, however his nervous system was having none of that. In the end he was just a broken soul in a dying body, piloting a death machine. His falling body made him remember the finiteness of it all.

“Well…Seeing him destroy himself, is much more entertaining, isn’t it?” The voice answered with a slight hint of unsettling joy. The man settled on the chair by the desk and set the crutch aside. His hand aimlessly brushed over the top of the desk.

“Ah. There.” He mumbled finding his glasses under a bunch of equipment spread out on the desk. He put the glasses on and focused on one of the various computer screens in front of him. He ran his hand through his thinned hair and tries them back in half-up bun.

“It only takes too long for me to actually witness it.” He chuckled back at voice and shook his head. Time certainly wasn’t a luxury he had. The protocol of his vitals the suit had tracked during the last ‘session’ confirmed it.

There was only one way to avoid a fatal seizure at this point was to eat veggies; Just kidding, an IV drip containing a neurological agent to keep his engine running a day just after getting up would be sufficient to get through the day. After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

“Not, if you follow the plan.” He could only scoff the at notion the voice had, that he could be disobeying orders. Here was his second chance; there was no way in hell he would just throw it away.

“Here is your new target.” A few newspaper strips and photos popped up on another screen. He tilted his head. He briefly went over the details and couldn’t hold back his smirk.

“A Stark Industries charity event? I guess I will fit right in with my social skills.” He rubbed his eyes and a slight spark could be seen in them.  
He licked blood by dismantling Spider-Man and this would be the icing on the cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. That was a mouth full. This chapter is a little bit longer than the others.  
> I hope it isn't all unimportant padding but interesting stuff.  
> Feedback and critique are always appreciated! 
> 
> 'Till the next chapter! Love, Pixel


	9. Soar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Morning/Day/Evening!
> 
> So...I finally finished this chapter. There isn't much to say, except to thank everyone for their comments and kudos! :D  
> Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 8: Soar

 

Despite how many steps Morgan took, she would never be able to shake the thoughts clouding her mind with fear. At least she was by herself now; none to talk down to her like she was some kind of baby, who didn’t understand what had happened. Even if she didn’t understand all of it, she knew Peter was willing to sacrifice everything just to see her safe. What was it with people always attacking and hurting each other? Why do people have to make each other miserable instead of prospering?

Her face clenched in an unsuccessful attempt to hold back tears. Surrounded by people, Morgan decided to pull her hood over her face. Right now, she hoped none would dare come looking for her, or else; She would probably explode into thousands of pieces. One more call from her mum would be the icing on the cake; Morgan was fed up with everyone bossing her around; telling her what to do and how to behave. There was no way she would ever be able to make her own assumptions about life, since everything appears to be laid out in a strict path. She musn’t stray off that path or else a bitter end apparently was on the horizon. At least that’s what her mother must believe.

In the dark remnants of past memories, Morgan saw her mother fearless of tomorrow. A strong woman, who faced every new morning with a confident grin towards destiny. It had been as if nothing could stop her. For Morgan her mom and dad were the bravest people ever. She had only heard vague stories of their past battles, but it was enough for a young impressionable Morgan to believe there was nothing that could hurt them. If Morgan had a say, they would have kept playing and laughing together forever.

“No way, Dad! That dress is so ugly!” Morgan’s attention was caught by a girl expressing her dislike over a green dress while window shopping. An older man, whom Morgan realized must be the girl’s father let out a chuckle at the comedic annoyance of his teenage daughter.

Morgan stopped in her tracks, watching them carry on walking down the street chuckling and grinning in cheerful glee. She raised her gaze from the ground to see the LED wall on the building right in front of her display the despicable video of Spider-Man taking a beating. Of course, the Daily Bugle had already come up with a pet name for the guy who messed up Peter so much, she isn’t allowed to see him. Morgan clenched her fists as they showed a zoom-in of the footage in a foolish attempt to identify the mystery man, hiding behind the mask.

“Wow. That ‘Iron Shadow’ really did a number on Spider-Man. Kinda feel sorry for him” Some folks walked by Morgan, almost running into her, since they were so caught up in their speculations over the incident. Seeing Spider-Man fight villains had become a rarity these days, making some people believe he had just given up on being a superhero. This was all good material for the tab, that was the Daily Bugle. The speculations were already spiralling out of control and soon every website and news outlet would have the hot new story on ‘Iron Shadow’.

Nobody could feel more sorry and guilty, than Morgan did. She was fed up with people always putting themselves in harm’s way to protect her. She wished she could protect herself. She wished she could be a shield for them for once. 

* * *

 

Witnessing Sentinel tirelessly case the ducks from left to right and from right to left by the shore of the pond, made Morgan desire to be as careless as her little friend was. Seemingly having enough of Sentinels antics, the ducks strike back by simply flying off for good. Morgan could have sworn one of them tried to assassinate Sentinel with a poop-to-ground-assault. Fortunately, it didn’t hit its target and the poo just hit the rock besides the cheerful robot. He turned around to sniff what had remained of his quacking playmates. Just as fast as he sniffed, he flinched back disgusted.

Sentinel sat down in the sand and watched the ducks fly away. Growling frustrated he jumped back on his feet. He lowered his head and flexed his back legs to launch into a sprint. With his short stubby legs, there simply wasn’t a way to sufficiently steer through the sand. The ducks were gaining more distance on Sentinel and the small robot let out a grunt as he jumped into the air. Morgan’s mouth gaped open in awe when she saw his attempt to fly? She couldn’t wait to see him finally soar through the skies.

However, her enthusiasm was stumped just as fast as Sentinel hit the ground with his belly. The thud from his impact was followed by disappointed grunt from Sentinel, who kept wiggling his legs in dissatisfaction. Morgan wondered if flying something natural to his programming, but some protocol might be blocking that path for now. He didn’t even have wings to boot. Maybe he was meant to be a ground dweller?

“Hey bubba, don’t be sad.” Morgan pushed her own sadness aside to lift Sentinel’s mood. She moved over, before grabbing him off the ground. He looked to her with his big eyes followed by his usual puzzled head tilt. He sensed Morgan was troubled, but he couldn’t comprehend why she was smiling.

Sentinel felt himself lifted into the air, until he found himself looking down at Morgan. He wagged his tail in excitement, when she beamed up to him with a smile. On the surface she seemed to have forgotten her sorrow. Being this high up from the ground already made Sentinel feel like flying. Morgan decided to take it up a notch and began to run while holding him up to the sky. Even though Morgan believed she wasn’t a particularly tall person, to Sentinel these highs must appear astronomical. The lizard stretched out his legs as if he was gliding.

“Oh no! Turbulence!” Morgan joked shaking Sentinel a little to make it seem like there was some strong turbulence going on. Sentinel cackled at the shaking motion, without fear. Maybe he was meant to be a natural flyer? Morgan couldn’t come up with a definitive answer at to what Sentinel was supposed to be yet. She wondered if it mattered that much, as long as he was happy.

She twirled around once more, holding Sentinel up into the direction of the sun. His body blocked the sunlight from hitting her face and Morgan no longer had to squint her eyes. Apparently, Sentinel had enough of ‘flying’ for today and wiggled in Morgan’s arms to let him go. However, Morgan froze, when she noticed the intricate moving parts inside of Sentinel’s Ark Reactor. Behind the glass shell, a shape, which one could only assume to be an arrow, turned in a circular motion. There was no pattern to its movement’s. It arbitrarily twisted into to every possible direction on the horizon.

“A compass?” Morgan had to prove her theory and turned herself and Sentinel around, who got impatient. He laid his head back in annoyance and glared right into to the sun. Morgan couldn’t believe it when she saw the ‘compass needle’ shift position to what it was originally pointing to. A split second later it went back to moving randomly. Sentinel groaned once again, and Morgan put him back on the ground.

Once he was back on the ground, he trotted forward only to lose his orientation after a few steps. Bedazzled, her kept turning his head until he found Morgan behind him again. He quickly rushed over and clung to her leg. Without hesitation, she picked him back up with a sigh.

“I am here. Don’t worry.” Morgan said with a smile. She petted Sentinel’s head. Fortunately, the scrape he got from their last detour, didn’t look as bad anymore.

It didn’t lift her concern that it maybe was the cause for Sentinel losing his orientation. An essential part of his inner workings might have been broken. She couldn’t bear the thought of him getting lost or worse. It was her fault he was in such a state in the first place. The knowledge that now there was no other way than get help for Sentinel to be fixed, scared Morgan, because she didn’t want him to be taken away. Her mum or the people at S.H.I.E.L.D. would probably confiscate and deactivate him. The thought of a robot autopsy didn’t sound that cool anymore. The one person she trusted enough to reveal Sentinel to, wasn’t available.

Morgan bit her lip.

Never before was the ringing of her phone, the revelation she needed. She fiddled the device out of her jacket pocket and settled into the grass. Sentinel rested in her lap and apparently had the right idea to take a nap for once. The display revealed, that Harold had sent her another message. Suddenly her (sometimes) annoying best friend became her saving grace. What he had texted didn’t have any relevance to Morgan now as she began to text him back;

“Can we meet tomorrow morning at the school lab?”

“Sure, but don’t you hate lab?” Harold texted back adding a GIF of a cat shooting laser’s out of it’s eyes out of rage.

“Don’t ask. Just show up.” Morgan replied with a facepalm emoji, not wanting to get any further into the topic, since she wasn’t sure her mother or Happy, or both were reading her text messages. At this point, Morgan wouldn’t be surprised. She ignored the messages and missed calls from her mother. She had contemplated running away from home, so she could be with Sentinel all the time. In her head she had everything laid out; they would sneak onto a cargo ship leaving for Europe and soon a new life would in the old world begin for her.

None would know them there. Immigrating under a false name could be challenge, or should she just get a fake passport once she lands on the European coast? Maybe they could make a name for themselves as street performers, but then Morgan remembered she didn’t even know an instrument. She laid back in the grass, keeping Sentinel on her chest. In return the lizard snuggled up to her. Her arms wrapped tightly around him as a deep breath left her lungs.

* * *

 

The same picture drew itself in front of Doreen’s eyes once she re-entered Peter’s room. At first glance it seemed as if time had stopped, but Doreen was sure she had been gone for a few hours. She actually had to get back to town to run some errands.

Her meeting with Mrs. Potts went smoothly for the most part. It got uncomfortable, once she asked why Doreen didn’t let the Iron Legion save Peter. Unfortunately, Doreen didn’t have a satisfying answer for Mrs. Potts, who reminded her to not compromise Peter’s or her identity by displaying her abilities this carelessly. Revealing herself to the world was everything but what she wanted. She couldn’t piece together why, but her instinct to help kicked in and her mind went blank.

She paid her attention over to the displays showing different vital signs; however, Doreen could only identify the flag for heartbeat. To her relief it looked good; a promising sign Peter would wake up soon.

The way May sat hunched over the bed, indicated that must be pretty exhausted. It was no use, nothing in the world could make her leave. Through the last few days Happy together with Doreen had to force feed her and make sure she drank enough. If Doreen was in May’s place, she would probably act the same way, if there was still hope the last family, she had could come back to her.

She younger woman moved closer behind May. Doreen grabbed a blanket and laid it around May’s shoulders, seeing how the woman was shaking from head to toe. The room wasn’t actually cold. Much more sinister forces embraced May with their cold grasp. Doreen hoped the blanket would give the woman some comfort.

May didn’t speak. She simply reached over to her shoulder where Doreen had rested her hand. For a split-second Doreen flinched, but this time she didn’t withdraw her hand in a desperate refusal to be touched. Her subconscious told her May had no ill intent. The simple gesture told Doreen everything she needed. The clock across from them kept ticking mercilessly as the minutes of them waiting in silence passed by.

Eventually May had passed out in her chair. Doreen thought the only reasonable thing was to call Happy and have him pick her up. Peter’s Aunt needed all the strength she had at her disposal to support her nephew.

“You are sure you will be fine?” Happy kept looking between Doreen and asleep May, whom he had picked up bridal style. He shifted May’s weight in his arms uneasy and Doreen simply nodded.

“Yes. I brought some paperwork to go through. I promise I will notify you once something changes.” Doreen folded her hands in front of herself. Happy was confident Doreen could handle the situation just fine. If she was emotionally sound enough to handle it was a whole different story. Maybe not being as close to Peter was a benefit. Still, it would only be for one night, before May was back right here. Certainly, May wouldn’t be happy once she realized she didn’t awake at Peter’s bedside.

“Take good care of her.” Doreen told Happy who was already leaving through the door. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled a little. 

* * *

 

Going through all the emails in Peter’s inbox was a major headache. At least Doreen had remembered to bring her favourite snacks to keep a calm mind. She carefully read through one of the emails while she chewed on the nuts. All news reports and stock market shifts the PR department had collected in that email were just aggravating to read through.

Front and centre of all the claims for damage compensation and the demand for an official statement regarding the incident with apparent Stark Industries technology, was none other than the Daily Bugle along with some lawyers in it for the big real estate money. The police department is already contemplating outlawing the Iron Legion because of safety concerns.

Everyone is asking, where Peter Parker is and why there hasn’t been any reaction from SI yet. Mrs. Potts advised Doreen to keep her feet still, while she made sure to keep the board at bay. They had to buy a few days, so they could authentically release the fabricated story about Peter being involved in a surfing accident.

If they don’t the Daily Bugle might make some connection between Peter and the incident. And soon the whole world would know who Spider-Man is. Or worse, people will assume Peter Parker is the so called “Iron Shadow”. The Bugle is already suspecting it to be a Stark Industries employ or a related person.

Little did the press know S.H.I.E.L.D. was already running investigations on the matter. Even shield’s co-director Maria Hill got involved in solving the mystery of Iron Shadow’s identity. Doreen was glad actually professionals were working on it, not only some tin-hat-conspiracy-theorists. Curiosity eventually get the best of her and during browsed through some of the forums dedicated to revealing the truth about the supernatural and everything else regarding superheroes.

She huffed once she read through the utterly silly theory proposed by ‘guyinyourchair616’. The text eventually came down to concluding that a wizard must have controlled an Iron Legion drone just like a puppet. There were more holes in this theory than in swiss cheese and Doreen could only chuckle at this total fabrication and manifestation of the author’s madness.

Suddenly Doreen became aware Peter’s pulse had risen out of nowhere. She quickly moved over to his side. Her mouth gaped open once she witnessed the fingers on his cast hand move, followed by his face crease into a slight thrown. Now Doreen could feel her own heart thump rapidly in her chest. She had no idea what to do or say if he woke up. She nervously looked around for an answer.

“MJ…” The sound of Peter’s raspy voice was barely audible. Her head turned in circles wondering who or what a ‘MJ’ was. Doreen decided to bargain.

“Y-Yes…It’s me.” Doreen shakily spoke. She bit her lip. Was it okay to lie in this situation? For her it was okay, as long as it helped Peter stay relaxed. She leaned closer, seeing how his eyes slowly opened. Naturally a smile came across Doreen’s features, as she saw his chestnut eyes.

Instead of speaking Peter’s hand automatically reached out towards the voice he had just heard. The voice he had expected to reply every second with a snarky reply, about not doing the dishes and that they can’t spent all day in bed.

Doreen let out a yelp as Peter got a hold of her shirt and pulled her close to him. She didn’t fight it; afraid it could hurt him. She could hardly breathe, once her cheek pressed against his chest. His good arm rested on top of her keeping her down.

“Please don’t leave me.” He uttered in his state between conscious and the drugs taking hold of his mind. Doreen’s chest clenched, as she awkwardly stayed braced over like this.

_“Don’t leave me…”_

Peter’s hold around her wasn’t too strong and Doreen was able to wiggle herself out of it. She took a step back and swallowed hard. It was in that moment when Peter shot into a sitting position wide eyed. His breaths only resembled shallow wheezes. He tried to lift his arms but only his right one responded, while the left one in the cast stayed lip by his side. Beyond the panic, tears build up in his eyes. Not of anger, but of fear.

Doreen quickly went to his side. Peter looked like a frightened animal, who had no idea what was happening to him. Remembering the blanket, she had brought earlier, she picked it up. She carefully sat down on the bed and covered Peter’s shoulders. She laid one arm around him and rubbed his shoulders softly.

Body contact used to help her calm down, when she had night terrors, so she applied the same logic to Peter’s panic. He slumped over to lean against her chest. In a soft gesture Doreen rested her cheek on his head. It scarred her how fast she had gotten attached to him, especially on a physical level.

Maybe Mrs. Parker was right; maybe the two of them weren’t that different after all. Doreen felt that maybe she had found someone who could understand her.

“My…arm..” Peter breathed in and Doreen could feel him struggle in her hold.

“Morgan!” Peter jacked forward and Doreen was barely able to hold him back. He was this strong already? The drugs must be wearing off.

“Hey..Hey. Morgan is okay. You saved her.” Doreen held his face softly in her hands, so he had to look at her. In his drained expression, Doreen could almost make out a smile, between the tears streaming from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, Urgh Peter why?! 
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter! :) As always leave some kudos or comments!


	10. Fusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> The wait has ended (sorry it took me so damn long)!  
> As always thanks for the many many kudos, follows and booksmarks! Those really make my day!  
> Again I have no BETA; So if someone would like to help me out, feel free to contact me :D

**Chapter 9: Fusion**

In the moment Peter had called out for this ‘MJ’, Doreen realized how unfamiliar the two of them actually were. Despite the feeling of deep familiarity creeping up her spine as she attempted to comfort him.

It’s wasn’t unusual to make a deep connection to a person after a traumatic event, however this man was her boss and so any emotional attachment was uncalled for. There wasn’t much Doreen knew about relationships, but there was one thing she knew for certain. They will get her hurt and she barely recovered from the fallout last time.

Doreen quickly retorted from her gentle gesture towards Peter. Her hands drifted back into her lap as she tried to convince herself he wouldn’t freak out because she touched him. It didn’t happen the first time. Peter’s eyes kept locked on her, which triggered Doreen into backing up almost instantly. She bit her lip, contemplating if rushing out of the room was beneficial or not. She just stood there in silence.

Peter had no intention of breaking the silence. He turned his head to his side towards the window. The sunlight still managed to brush his face, even though the blinds were down. The light was intense and the sound of machinery outside unbearable. With every breath the pressure grew more stressful, until he found himself clenching his eyes closed in agony.

“I…” Doreen could literally sense Peter’s turmoil. In a fit of rational thinking she ran outside to inform the staff of what was happening. Her screams for help became more panicked outside the room.

“Please…something..is.” Doreen found herself drop to her knees in the doorway. Her pupils dilated into a spec of what they used to be. It was no coincidence this was happening. She held her head, while every inch of her body was drowning in the same panic. In fact, even if she wanted, she wouldn’t even be able to move her body. The steps of the approaching people to her were like gunshots fired only inches away.

The sensation of two hands clasping her shoulders hurt like someone was actually trying to rip them off clean. Doreen tried to fight the pain by violently throwing her arms around herself. Not wanting to be touched.

_Don’t touch me…!_

“Doreen! It’s me Pepper!” There was a short silence. Doreen got dragged back on her feet by another pair of arms. Her feet slid across the floor as she was seemingly taken away. The further she got away from her original spot, the more her senses calmed down.

“What happened…! Can you hear me?!” Pepper tried to bring Doreen back to her senses by carefully tightening her grip around her hand. Relief washed over Pepper as Doreen clenched her hand back but not having the courage to open her eyes. It wasn’t the first time her senses had gone haywire like this. There were times when Doreen had them as frequent as other people had headaches. These ‘spasms’ were a high price to pay for a power, Doreen never asked to have.

“I don’t know. I suddenly felt as if…” Doreen swallows hard, as she opened her eyes. They had flashed in an amber colour for a split second. Too fast for Pepper to ever pick up on it. 

* * *

 

 

“…the whole world was crashing down on me.” Peter opened his eyes and was greeted by May worryingly glaring back at him. She had a feeling it was no good idea to leave him alone. Happy had told her time and time again that he was in good hands and a grown man now. Basically, that he could handle himself. To May, Happy couldn’t have been more wrong.

May looked her nephew up and down. Obviously, he had no idea, that all hell had broken loose since he had that clash with this villain. Her hand reached out to brush some of the hair out his concerningly pale face. For all her life she had wanted to keep him in blissful ignorance of how cruel the world really can be. The truth is however, that bad things happen to good people.

The dark circles under Peter’s eyes indicated that his body was pumping all it’s remaining energy into recovering from the beating it took. Even for someone like him, almost drowning was no joke. May was happy to know Peter would be back on his feet kicking in no time. For now she was even satisfied with seeing his expression soften.

Peter sat up and his wandered from May to Happy who was crossing his arms, as if he knew what was on Peter’s mind. There was a spark inside these hazel eyes, that called for vengeance.

“Don’t even try it.” Happy threw at Peter who immediately snapped at the older man.

“He tried to kill Morgan and hurt or possibly killed a bunch of people…” Peter swung his legs sideways so he could get up. He felt the anger boil inside of him. He was burning to get his hands on that impostor.

“And it is all on me.” Peter stopped his movement and starred at the floor. Troubled he ran his own hand through his curse hair. May threw a thrown at Happy, which made the man figure he should probably leave. Seconds later he was on his marry way to check on that other issue.

May heard the door close, when she moved over to sit on the bed besides Peter. She silently folded her hands over her legs. Her nephew didn’t give her any hints, that he was willing to talk it out. Sometimes he had the tendency to just ‘deal’ with things by himself.

Despite all of this May never dared to pressure him into telling her whatever was on his mind. She understood that he had to reassemble the shattered pieces of what he remembered from that night, in his own mind first to properly articulate how he felt.

Randomly touching him could probably lead him to another panic attack, so May just stayed by his side and hummed silently to herself. Who was she trying to convince that she way okay? These ‘spasms’ usually only happened whenever Peter had been overwhelmed by a certain sensation or was under enormous pressure. The more May thought about the clearer it became.

After everything Peter’s body had to endure his sudden outburst was enough to tip everything over. May had admired Peter’s power from the very day she had known about them, however she began to wonder if the price for them was too high.

Peter brushed his right hand against his left biceps. Nothing; there was neither pain nor any other reaction he had come to expect. His face turned away from May towards his left side.  
In a desperate attempt to feel anything he pinched it hard.

Again nothing.

“Th-This is the effect of the pain killers, right? It probably wears off soon, right?” Peter quickly shook his head in denial. It simply couldn’t be; there was no way. He had become to expect himself to retialte from any kind of injury exceptionally fast. Sweat built up on his forehead, when May hesitate too long for her to give a satisfying answer. His good hand clenched the blanket tightly.

“Honey…” May laid a comforting hand on his shoulder but Peter just looked back at her like a deer in headlights. Her eyebrows pinned together. Now the moment had come when she had to tell her little boy, that he had to lead the rest of his life with a disability. Of course, there was a chance some of the nerves would heal and the extent of Peter’s healing factor was still largely unknown. The truth was, that it would never be the same again.

The doctors had offered May to explain the situation to him. May turned the offer down, since she believes herself to be the best option to tell him. She wished more than anything, there was some miracle to just fix things. All the medical explanations paired with the horrifying x-rays turned futile when faced with Peter in front of slowly crumbling on the inside.

“It just can’t be… Who will stop this maniac, if not me?! I am probably the reason he is committing these heinous acts! How can I be sure he won’t attempt to kill Morgan again or..or go after you!” Peter covered his tear splattered eyes with his right arm and slumped forward defeated. May struggled herself to hold back the tears.

“The world still needs Spider-Man.” Peter mumbled under his breath between his heart wrenching weeps. Who would protect the world or the universe for that matter, if he wasn’t able to anymore? All the weight of the responsibility he felt towards everyone was unbearable.

He broke down into uncontrollable sobs, surrendering himself to the burning in his chest. How could he go on living with the knowledge he was powerless in the face of any threat?  He was supposed to be earth’s greatest protector instead he was just a cripple.

“What the world or the universe needs…is none of your concern now…!” May returned back to stand in front of Peter who looked up at her. She crossed her arms, being fed up with all this talk of what kind of responsibility Peter had towards others. Even her altruism had its limits. A moment of silence passed between them.

May swore this was all on Tony Stark; If it weren’t for him, Peter would have never developed this unhealthy sentiment that the world is depending on him. This notion his driven Peter to become hyper focused on being an omnipresent hero while juggling his already taxing job as CEO. That he had to be the ‘next Tony Stark’. May wished Peter would realize that he must become his own person.

She couldn’t help but feel intense hatred towards Stark creep up on her. If only she hadn’t answered the door that day…

A gasp escaped Peter’s lips after he had processed what May had just thrown at him. He took it silently. After all, he didn’t have the strength to fight with her now. His days as a masked hero were over. Spider-Man was dead and the whole world was there to witness it.

With his failure he was spitting on Tony’s sacrifice and legacy. It seems that Tony had put his faith into the wrong person. He truly was the joke his aggressor made him out to be.

“Peter, please. Focus on yourself for once. You need all your strength to recover. Bike thieves and space warlords have to wait for now.” May softly spoke to him trying to mend the agony they both felt. She even caught herself forming a slight hint of a smile on her face, when Peter simply let himself slip into her embrace. 

* * *

 

 

Doreen gratefully took the glass of water; Pepper had offered her before sitting down herself. The elder redhead eyed her closely, not intending to take her eyes off her until she was sure Doreen was okay. It was a habit she had developed by simply being a mum. Especially since Doreen was the closest Morgan had to a big sister.

“I am okay. It was just caught off guard. It won’t happen again.” Doreen nodded as she looked at Pepper, who knew Doreen was just trying to convince herself that everything was okay. That it was just a small slip up.

“Don’t worry. There is no way Peter will let me fire you.” Pepper chuckled. Doreen almost choked on the water as Pepper mentioned Peter. Unknown to her, her face turned a nudge redder in that moment.

If Pepper had known placing Doreen as Peter’s assistant would cause their senses to clash whenever they are in the same room, she would have looked into a different solution. She was confident Doreen was able to mask her power better from now on, out of fear to be exposed for what she truly is. Even around Pepper, Doreen wasn’t able to break the habit of concealing her true form.

Pepper had been surprised to learn that Doreen had actually used her skills without hesitation to rescue Peter out of the Hudson tide, despite the Iron Legion’s presence. The urge to help, seemingly defeated her fear. Not to say that Pepper was particularly happy with how it went down.

“There is something you can help me with.” Pepper announced, which caught Doreen’s attention immediately. She stood up fast and adjusted her blazer jacket and made sure her ponytail was neat and clean. Her actions almost appeared like a soldier reporting for duty.

This tick of utter obedience and dutifulness never seizes to impress Pepper. Morgan could learn a thing or two from Doreen, when it came to discipline. Maybe then her grades wouldn’t be that underwhelming.

“Could you pick up Morgan from school. Let’s just say she is not my biggest fan at the moment. Take her shopping or something; Anything to get her mind off what happened.” Pepper explained pinching the bridge of her nose troubled. Dealing with Stark temper tantrums mixed with teenage hormones on a daily basis really was something else. United with the angst of having experienced an assassination attempt makes a dangerous cocktail of emotions.

“I will keep an eye on Morgan.” Doreen smiled brightly at the prospect of finally seeing Morgan again. They hadn’t really been keeping in contact, due to Doreen’s occupation. Things are different now, since she is working for her family again. Part of the reason Doreen took the job was to be close to Morgan again and her unbroken curiosity about the infamous Peter Parker.

Doreen knew this wasn’t the only reason Pepper gave her this task. There was always a chance the mysterious Iron Shadow could try a second time to go through with his plan. She already assumed Pepper was monitoring her daughter 24/7. Understandable after all of this. But a surveillance in the form of her big sister, surely Morgan wouldn’t mind as much. She owed it Peter to make sure no harm came to Morgan, after he risked everything.

“Good, thank you. Then I will make sure Stark Industries doesn’t set itself on fire while Peter is out of the picture. The board is already pressing for answers, but it’s nothing compared to the angry mob the Daily Bugle let loose on our Social Media.” Pepper sighed annoyed. There wasn’t a single year where SI wasn’t about to implode and take the whole stock market down with it.

* * *

 

 No one seemed to be roaming the school hallway. That was perfect for Morgan. School wouldn’t start for another hour, so there was plenty of time for Harold to a diagnosis on Sentinel. Said robot kept squirming in her backpack, while probably munching on her oil crayons.

“Shhh! Nelly, quiet.!” Morgan hissed at him as his metal body clunked with the other contents of her backpack. Sentinel grunted at decided to dare a peak outside of the ruck. He hadn’t taken a look since they had left the park. Exciting for Sentinel; He had never seen much else except the park. For all he knew this place stank like those people running about the paths on besides his favourite tree. Apparently, humans spray strange odour during a run.

Walking past a glass wall, Morgan noticed in her reflection how Sentinel was checking out his surroundings by sticking his nose out of the backpack. Morgan just hopped Sentinel wouldn’t come across the awful stench from whatever the cafeteria was doing behind closed doors. In the next moment Sentinel shutters and sneezes.

“Yeah…The cafeteria stinks like hell; None knows why.” Morgan shrugged. The small creature retracted back inside the bag. He needed some time to process this awful smell, that bordered on a biological hazard.

Morgan reached the lab classroom, where they usually had engineering and mechanics. She was surprised to find the room, since she mostly skipped these classes. Over the need to escape this hell hole Morgan had developed the ability to fake her mum’s signature perfectly. None ever questioned this, since Morgan had made a secure estimate how many hours she could be absent and still being able to pass the class.

She opened the door, only to find the lights were already switched on. Setting the backpack on one of the workbenches, she stepped over to find Harold below it. Cursing under his breath he seemed to deal with the worst nightmare of any geek; cable clutter.

“You got to be kidding me.” He huffed trying to untangle the mess.

“Harry? What are you doing?” Morgan bent over to see under the counter. Morgan caught him in a bad moment, and he hit his head out of surprise. Having felt the tremor, Sentinel crawls out of the bag. Noisy as ever, he moved to the edge of the table, but Morgan picked him up before he could wander off further.

“You stay here.” Morgan said to Sentinel who wagged his tail innocently.

“Alright. Morgona. I will stay under this table and pretend to not exist. Don’t mind me; I am just a workbench troll.” Harold answered to Morgan’s comment which obviously wasn’t meant for him. She also hated to be called ‘Morgona’, so she contemplated wether or not to leave him down there.

“Urgh, not you.” Morgan said and Harry climbed out from below they counter. He dusted himself off, before noticing what was sitting on top of Morgan’s head. Baffled by Sentinel he moved closer, his face only inches away from Morgan’s. She blushed at the notion of a boy coming so close, even though she wasn’t the reason.

Sentinel starred back at Harry. He tilted his head confused as to why this human was so shocked.

“Harry, this is Sentinel.” Morgan grabbed Sentinel from her head and set him down on the table again beside a computer. This time Sentinel decided to just sit and stay still. Occasionally he wagged his tail.

“Awesome toy! Oh my god! If there was a god…Anyways… He is so cute!” Harold leaned in closer to Sentinel who didn’t flinch at his loud expression of excitement. Of course, he had no idea what Sentinel really was. Heck, Morgan doesn’t even know exactly.

“Hey. He is not a toy…” Morgan explained, and Sentinel raised his head with a huff of pride. She had to admit, Sentinel could be mistaken for these weird Proto-Pets. To her they were just creepy, unlike Sentinel.

“…my…dad built him.” Morgan frowned and Harry looked to her confused. He didn’t know what Morgan needed him exactly for. She rarely talked about her father, so he was dumbfounded. Harry took a look back at the robot on the table. Pretty basic design, but he wondered why such a small creature required an Ark Reactor, which could power a whole city. These things could be extremely unstable and dangerous, so he wasn’t going to mess with it.

“Okay, then he certainly isn’t a plaything. I have never seen an Ark Reactor up close.” Harold admitted, but this was probably the happiest day in his life. Finally, he could study a project by the late Tony Stark. He opened a drawer to get a cord. Sentinel apparently didn’t like the idea of being hooked up to a computer, because he hopped back into Morgan’s arms and buried his face in her chest. Confused, she petted his head.

“Ahh there it is.” Harold announced plugging the cord into an outlet on Sentinels neck. He yelped as he felt the power of the computer flow into his body. Nothing more than a zap, but scary anyways.

“What the…Look at how much corrupted data is on here.” Harold kept watching the computer print out lines of error messages in certain directories of Sentinels mainframe. It just kept going and Harry raised an eyebrow.

“I will allow myself to believe that my dad didn’t put them there.” Morgan looked over Harold’s shoulder who sat in the chair by the desk.

“Right, Morgona. We have a whole different issue. If this corrupted data causes Sentinel’s Ark Reactor into a nuclear-fusion-state, the explosion will level the whole northern hemisphere or worse….” Harry answered glaring at Morgan fearful.

“Can you fix it?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems Sentinel is everything but a toy! Peter has to deal with the consequences of his injury, while Doreen struggles to keep up her facade. 
> 
> All them kudos and every other form auf feedback is appreciated!
> 
> Love, Pixel


	11. Onward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, guys!
> 
> All I can say is that life has been crazy lately and I barely got anytime to write. So, I basically pumped out this whole chapter in two sittings. (I am crazy)
> 
> So please enjoy it!

**Chapter 10: Onward**

 

The prospect of news like this, set Morgan’s mind into a downward spiral. This simply couldn’t be the truth. Harry must have made mistake. Sentinel a death machine? No way. She never realized how potentially dangerous Ark technology really was. The power of a sun condensed down into the palm of her hand.

Morgan slumps back onto the stool situated behind her. Her embrace around Sentinel loosened and the robot looked up to her. In utter confusion over her sudden change in demeanor, he glared at her. Harry answered with a simple sigh.

“Only if you promise to raid the Orc’s Lair with me tonight.” Harold turned in his chair, a certainly mischievous expression visible between his freckled cheeks. It took Morgan a moment to switch from her dumbfounded realization to unbound frustration.

“Urgh, you! Stop fooling around! Damn!” Morgan grabbed a textbook in range and playfully hit Harry over the head with it.

The teenage boy let out a grunt, followed by a chuckle he seemingly had been holding back all this time. His amusement over Morgan’s reaction caused him to switch into full blown laughing. In fact, his laughter was so contagious Morgan couldn’t resist joining.

Sentinel watched the two of them resolve the situation with their unbound laughter. Morgan should have known; Harry would pull a prank on her.

Oh, how he must have enjoyed her shock, slowly dissolving into an epiphany of immanent doom. The robot tapped his front paws on the countertop nervously, not knowing what to make of their behavior. Out of desperation, Sentinel decided to let out a more or less threatening roar. He sounded more like a confused child, than anything.

“Everything is okay. We are just being silly, that’s all.” Morgan petted Sentinel’s head, following his cry. Harry was still occupied with wiping the humor tears from his eyes. Sentinel huffed at Harry for making Morgan scared like that just for fun. How would have thought a puppy sized robot lizard could express threats like that?

“Hey…Hey…I am sorry. I won’t do it again.” Harry raised one hand in innocence, so Sentinel would think he was being genuine and sealing the deal with his gesture. What Sentinel didn’t notice, was how the boy had crossed his fingers behind his back. The prankster would return with a vengeance. The robot narrowed his eyes but then backed up.

“Our little friend won’t blow up…at least not due to nuclear fusion, however there is still a chance the corrupted code could cause some issues.” Harry threw a glance back at his screen, since Sentinel was still plugged in. Now used to the sensation of new information streaming into his system Sentinel decided to flop on his back and watch the ceiling fan.

There it was again; the weird ‘compass’ Morgan had witnessed before. The reason she asked Harry for help in the first place.

She grabbed him by the sleeve of his sweater to get his attention on the matter. He frowned upon the strange hologram being displayed inside the Ark reactors chamber. To him it certainly didn’t seem like a malfunctioning mechanical part, but rather a software related issue.

“This…happened before. What if it is trying to ping something?” Morgan spoke up while Harry nodded in a hint of agreement. He wasn’t completely on board with her idea. He eyed the ‘compass needle’s‘ motion some more before announcing his own conclusion.

“That might be part of its programming. To me it appears something in Sentinel’s system is caught in a boot-loop. Just watch how the needle is swinging in the same repeating pattern.” Harold concluded crossing his arms over his chest. Morgan tapped Sentinel’s Ark reactor just out of curiosity, but then payed her attention back to her friend.

She made her own conclusion, that it meant, that some of Sentinel’s systems were working right or to their fullest. Morgan opened her mouth to speak, when Harry already flexed his fingers.

“Don’t worry! The keyboard magician is already on it. Feed me with a decent amount of chocolate and coke and I shall work my magic.” Harry announced. He dropped his voice about two octaves just to appear more serious. Morgan shook her head; He was so silly.

Morgan reached to rub Sentinel’s belly who yawned in satisfaction. He stretched his legs one more time before easing completely into her touch. Maybe not a pet, but Sentinel certain had the same weaknesses as them. She focused on Harry opening the first file. The computer continued to write and write lines of code on the screen. Even she knew that the RAM of this piece of junk would be maxed out at any moment now.

Harry narrowed his eyes, not sure if he should be impressed at the sheer amount of code or shocked how one man wrote all of it. Eventually the computer stopped, but instead of giving Harry the chance to troubleshoot anything, it just crashed. Before it did, it display an error message, telling them about a system security violation. The two teens sat in front of the black screen dumbfounded.

“I guess…Sentinel.EXE crashed our school network, by just napping.” Harold leaned back in the chair and rubbed his face. Morgan stayed silent and simply sighed. She smiled.

Of course, her dad would implement every feasible type of security to prevent them from tinkering with any of Sentinel’s systems. On the other side it worried her; All that security wasn’t just there to mess with them, but rather might be there to stop them from uncovering something they shouldn’t.

At least for now…

 

* * *

 

With the last ring of the school bell, the students all felt the urge to quickly escape class as fast as possible. They were free now, no wonder everyone wanted to get out. Morgan stayed by her desk trying to focus on what her teacher was telling them over all the noise of students packing up. She still had her note book spread out in front of her to write it down.

One thing was for certain; If she didn’t drastically improve her grades, the teacher would be forced to contact her mum. That was something Morgan had every reason to evade. She still was trying to build the perfect strategy to steer herself clear of this situation. Morgan couldn’t bare the thought of her mum, finding out her daughter was disappointing her on a daily basis. The simple truth was, that Morgan was everything but the genius everybody expected her to be.

Her grip around her pen tightened as she simply doodled onto the paper. Caught up by the doodle of wings on Sentinel potentially could look like, she hadn’t noticed all the other students of her class had already left for the weekend.

She jumped to her feet and scrambled to her stuff into her bag. The pen scrapped Sentinel’s head, who was still hiding in Morgan’s bag. To the teacher inaudible, but for Morgan as loud as an airplane taking off, Sentinel yelped upon impact. The bag wiggled for a second. Luckily the teacher didn’t notice anything.

“Have a good Weekend, Miss Stark.” The teacher said and Morgan wished her the same.

Walking down the stairs, Morgan suddenly felt a lot more tired. The nights of studying, just to keep up with the rest of the class, really took their toll on her. How glad she had been, that Peter ‘rescued’ her away from her workbook purgatory. Her own selfishness had caused him to get hurt. Not being able to see him, robbed the last amount of nights rest out of her.

She was contemplating, if she should take Sentinel home with her or back to the park. Contemplating the what decision to make, she decided to postpone it for now. After Sentinel had crashed the school network, Harry had no way to troubleshoot or fix any of his issues. They were basically back to square 1. Everything about Sentinel remained a mystery to them.

However, Sentinel was fed up with being hidden away in Morgan’s bag. The bot wiggled his snout out of the top opening. Watching this, Morgan wondered if Sentinel actually needed his snout to make sense of his surroundings. She was certain he had different ways of allocation and this was just the “less” advanced way, since some of his parts appeared to be malfunctioning.

“Come on. Let’s get outta here.” Morgan put the backpack on her lap. Opening the zipper further, Sentinel immediately popped his head out. He grunted at Morgan. Clearly he wasn’t too happy with his new way of life and Morgan certainly had no intention of keeping it that way. Sentinel didn’t stay grumpy for long, when he spotted a new type of flying creature.

The small robot hopped out of the bag onto the desk. It didn’t look very gracefully with those chubby legs of his, but it did earn a chuckle from Morgan. Simply watching Sentinel having a shorter attention span than a goldfish, was a comedic gold mine.

He pressed his paws against the window glass. His tail expressed the essence of his happiness about witnessing a new thing. To focus further Sentinel narrowed his eyes, but he soon realized his snout was not able to touch nor move the creature. It simply stayed put. What a realization, to learn that glass was transparent, yet so solid.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Morgan said leaning closer to Sentinel, who kept bumping his nose against the glass. He let out a squeal at the sound.

“That’s a butterfly.” Morgan pointed her finger onto the glass were the brightly colored insect sat. It flapped it’s wings, just to display it’s beautiful wing pattern in the evening sun. The display didn’t last for long and the butterfly department to wherever its destination was. Disappointed by this, Sentinel turned to look at Morgan.

“Uh…I think it just went home…to its family. To all the other butterflies.” Morgan grabbed the robot and set him back into her back. Sentinel starred back at her, before realizing he was back in his mode of transportation. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but there was just no other way to move him around unseen.

“You know, there are a whole bunch of them in the zoo’s butterfly house. In fact, there are too many to count.” Morgan picked up the backpack after she stood up. She held it close to her chest. Sentinel peaked out his head immediately. Everything was simply more interesting than the dark interior of this bag.

“Even for you.” Morgan bopped his nose with her finger and Sentinel giggled. She made a mental note to herself to take Sentinel to the zoo, once she had everything figured out. There was just so much she had to show him!

 

* * *

 

_Tick…tick…tick_

One of the downsides of enhanced sense is, that even the smallest most insignificant noise can become an annoyance. For Peter, the clocks spread all over this place, have been the bane of his existence for the last few days, he was forced to stay. At almost felt like salvation, when the doctors finally decided he was ready to leave.

They probably wanted to spare themselves from telling a perfectly healthy young man, he would be crippled for life. No more superheroing.

He leaned back against the wall behind the bench he was sitting on. His gaze turned to the ceiling. Peter couldn’t help but smile at irony of it all; The bite of radio-active spider had graced him for superhuman abilities, but not another 4 limbs?

He might look like a freak and not be able to shop normal clothes anymore, but it would have its upsides. With the age of the internet animal-human hybrids, might also be more accepted these days. At least he would have still enough working limbs to be Spider-Man. The one thing he thought, he was meant to do. That being a hero, was his destiny. For one thing, the universe had a pretty dark sense of humor when it came to his life.

Nothing. Not even the fingers on his right arm would move. The cast had been removed, however it was then, when Peter really didn’t feel his arm anymore. From the shoulder down to the tip of his fingers, there was just nothing. Only the phantom pain striking, whenever it felt like it, remained.

Just the shadows of a sensations he used to feel. Even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to move it much, since lower arm was strapped to his chest with a brace. Maybe the doctors thought, it wouldn’t be as much a liability this way. That it wouldn’t bother Peter as much. They had no idea.

“What took you so long?” Peter got up from the bench as soon as he spotted Happy in the hallway. Rather than arguing or talking back at Peter with a snarky comment, Happy just picked up Peter’s bag. Surprised by this, Peter followed him silently. He wondered if he should apologize. Instead Peter tried to keep pace, but he was still pretty tired. He felt a lot more lightheaded when he attempted to climb the stairs alongside the elder man.

Noticing, Happy slowed down. Again, Happy had the same sorrowful expression on his face, Peter had learned to hate over the last few days. Peter gritted his teeth, but now words left his mouth. He moved past Happy in a faster pace again. A decision he would come to regret in the next second, when his legs gave up on him.

Slower than usual, but still fast enough Peter was able to catch himself by the railing. His left knee slammed into the stairs, resulting in a sharp pain going through his system. His body trembled for a short moment, followed by a grunt escaping between his lips.

“Urgh…I am fine…!” Peter snapped at Happy, who tried to help him up.

“Clearly, you are not. I promised to keep a close eye on you. All of us were worried sick! And all you do is throwing hissy fits!” Happy finally had enough. The color of Peter’s face went from snow pale to burning red. Embarrassment; that’s all Peter felt. Sometimes acting like a reasonable adult, was the hardest thing in the world.

Happy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. All he wanted was to do, was leave Peter in the forest and have him figure everything out himself. He quickly shook the thought, when he remembered that Doreen had risked everything to save Peter’s life. He had no intention of getting into a fight with her. The memory of her jumping into the freezing cold tides of the Hudson, still gave him goosebumps.

“I…I am sorry.” Peter barely had the courage to look Happy in the eye. Anger was a tool only the weak use. It led many down a path, they couldn’t return form.

Peter clenched his good fist and turned to continue walking up the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Doreen risked another glance at her watch. Strange, school should have ended a few minutes ago. Among the stream of students leaving the building, there was no sight of Morgan. Would she even recognize Doreen? They used to be so close, but everything changed, once Doreen decided to leave.

She had now realized, that she was just running away from her responsibility. Sooner or later, it would come back to haunt her. Maybe she came back to ease the pain of past regrets. For simply vanishing, as Morgan needed her the most.

Impatient, Doreen made the decision to venture inside the building to look for Morgan herself. She rummaged around in her handbag for her phone. Pepper had left her a message with the school’s address, Morgan’s classroom number, as well as some other details like Morgan’s favorite food joint and so on. Doreen smiled at the message.

Morgan was lucky to have a mother, who cared for her so much.

Caught in thought, Doreen wandered around the halls aimlessly. So, this was what a High School was like? In her imagination, it had a much more prestigious and cleaner look to it. The lockers plastered along the sides of the hallway had all sorts of things written on them.

Some were shameless insults and others wholesome declarations of love. Her hand brushed over the writings and she could still feel the echo of the writer’s emotion. A thrown came over Doreen’s face, with the sound of a familiar voice ringing in her ears.

_Remember not to run in the hallways and be respectful…_

She looked to her side and up, only to have steel blue eyes staring back at her. Her mouth gaped open in utter surprise and she staggered back. A wash of panic overcame her. Eyes wide with shock, she did not see clearly.

There he was, live and in color, Steve Rogers. His tall frame towered over Doreen, who just realized it was nothing more than a hologram. A convincing one for sure. Despite all her senses telling her to leave, Doreen stayed frozen in place. At this point her legs were incapable of moving.

The holographic Captain rested his hands on his hips, as if he wanted to give her another of his lectures. Looking the past in the face was much harder, than Doreen had ever anticipated. Her hand reached out for the hologram, just so she could reassure herself he wasn’t real.

So enough as soon as her hand went straight through his broad chest. Doreen quickly retracted her hand to her own chest, as if something had burned it.

“I get it. That thing is super scary. Looks nothing like the actual guy. My dad used to say, he isn’t that good looking.” Morgan approached from behind, not paying much attention to who she was actually talking to. To her it was probably a new substitute teacher, who got lost. After all, Midtown High was pretty big.

Morgan went to open her locker and put some heavy books into it. Not paying much more attention to the other person seemingly scared to death by that cheesy hologram, Morgan dared a glance into the mirror installed in the door of her locker. She ran her hand through her hair, attempting to tie them into a half bun.

She stopped. It took her two or three glances to recognize who she was seeing through the mirror behind the hologram. Morgan dropped her backpack on the ground, which earned her a suppressed grunt from Sentinel. Frankly, Morgan didn’t care much for that now.  
  


Her hands covered her mouth shakily.

Doreen got alerted by Morgan dropping her bag. All she could see in that moment were the same hazel eyes of the little girl, she had once vowed to look out for. Doreen’s heart skipped a beat when she saw how that same spark of happiness inside Morgan’s eyes was still present.

Morgan made the first step forward, still skeptical if she had just seen a ghost. It had to be true; Only her big sister, had such beautiful red hair. Morgan used to love to braid them for hours, while Doreen in return crafted them flower crowns.

Through all these years, these memories stayed so vivid inside Morgan’s mind and heart. They were all she had left of Doreen, since even the most beautiful flower crowns eventually withered away.

The teen pursed her lips and launched herself into a straight run fully believing Doreen knew what to do once she hopefully caught Morgan in her arms. Doreen’s face went straight red when she realized Morgan running towards her, with tears in her eyes. The little cheeky girl had turned into a young breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Morgan jumped through the hologram into Doreen’s arms. Unfortunate for them, Doreen was so overtaken by her emotions, that she let her guard down and Morgan basically knocked them both to the ground, other than actually spinning her in the air.

Doreen had her arms tightly locked around Morgan and pressed her cheek on top of the teen girls head. Overwhelmed by Morgan’s emotions, Doreen just let the tears stream down her own cheeks as well. For once, Doreen’s façade was crumbling from the happiness she felt.

Once Doreen’s back hits the ground, the slid back a few meters until they came to a halt. Morgan clung on tightly and cried into Doreen’s chest. What followed were uncontrolled sobs from Morgan while Doreen petted her head, knowing it would calm her down. Doreen simply smiled through her tears, knowing she would leave Morgan again.

Meanwhile Sentinel had decided to peak out of the backpack, curious what all the commotion was about. He scanned the hallway for people, but there wasn’t anyone besides Morgan and that other unknown person. He wiggled out of the bag and snarled.

To him Morgan’s blood pressure was dangerously high, and an unknown person was about to squeezer her to death. Sentinel switched into an offensive stance, ready to launch himself at the enemy to protect Morgan.

“Morgan…why is your…Neo Pet snarling at us?” Doreen asked confused to see the small creature blow up his chest to seem more threatening. Sentinel paced, waiting for Morgan’s command. Morgan turned her head to see Sentinel. Keeping a curious and apparently over protective creature like Sentinel a secret suddenly seemed like a fool’s errand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I guess another chapter done. 
> 
> I really would like to write more scenes between Peter and Happy. Their dynamic seems super interesting to me, since Happy understands all the stuff Peter is going through, since he had experienced similar with Tony. Ahhh...I am just a sucker for these Peter Tony parallels. :) 
> 
> Also I am happy to finally have Morgan and Doreen together. I think there is a major lack of female & female friendships in the MCU and I hope we get more of that in the future with a larger female cast. :) 
> 
> As always, leave some kudos and maybe a comment, if you want!
> 
> Have a great day/night guys!


	12. Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Merry Christmas!
> 
> I thought posting this next chapter would just be the right christmas present! :D So here you go!  
> As always I hope you enjoy this new chapter.   
> Hopefully you can spent the holidays with your family and loved ones. :)

**Chapter 11: Reveal**

The two immediately separated from their hug, charged with unbound happiness. While Doreen straightened her jacket after she had stood back up, Morgan was already approaching Sentinel. The small creature sat on the ground like a confused puppy. His tail wagged excited, as he realized Morgan was just overly happy in that moment, so there wasn’t really anything to snarl over. 

“Ohhh you…!” Morgan bent down to pick him up. Sentinel didn’t protest this time around but kept his piercing blue eyes on Doreen. Who knew a side project could turn out to be so adorable? The elder woman approached with a warm smile. 

“Not…a Neo Pet, am I right? Still adorable though.” Doreen reached out to pet Sentinel’s head. Surprisingly he didn’t flinch, instead his gaze kept on Doreen’s hand. The small bot of course registered her comment and chuckled proudly. Morgan had to make sure he didn’t turn into a compliment spoiled show off. Raising a little creature to be a responsible and independent one, really was hard work. Morgan rubbed her face tiredly. 

“You are quite feisty, like someone else I know.” Doreen chuckled as Sentinel reached out with his paws to get a hold of her hand, which she allowed him to do. For a creature his size, he was quite strong, however it was no surprised considering, Doreen had already sensed the enormous amount of Ark Energy flowing through his system. First, she had feared Morgan had built her own Iron Man…Woman…suit. Somehow she was glad, that wasn’t the case. 

Morgan’s face went bright red at Doreen’s comment, and she scratched her own cheek nervously. 

“Doreen…Could you promise me not to tell anyone about Sentinel?” Morgan asked looking quite distraught. Doreen just answered with a warm smile, while resting her hands on her hips, as if she was about to lecture Morgan about the importance of washing your hands regularly. Morgan had to cover the smile plastered from cheek to cheek with her hand. However, her rosy cheeks hand no way of hiding of her suppressed amusement. For sure a star-spangled get up, would fit her big sister. 

“Your secret is safe with me.” Doreen grinned and her eyes went to look upwards, since Sentinel had climbed up her head to rest on top of it. To him it seemed like the perfect vantage point to scan his surroundings. He laid his head low and looked to Morgan. 

“Duh…. Sentinel, you can’t just climb onto people. That’s super rude. You are messing with Doreen’s hair!” Morgan walked over and tried to get the lizard off. Sentinel kept holding on by gripping Doreen’s hair. Instead of screeching she just shook her head. 

“It’s fine, Morgan…really.” Doreen raised her hands in a reassuring manner, trying to convince Morgan, who grunted. 

“Urgh, don’t encourage this! Or by tomorrow he will climb skyscrapers with Peter.” Morgan quickly snatched Sentinel away back into her arms, before realizing that Doreen’s demeanor had abruptly changed. Was it because Morgan had mentioned Peter? Was it really that bad?

The other woman turned her body away slightly, as a hint of pain went over her troubled expression. She gripped her left arm with her hand, as a subconscious hint of her insecurity. She still felt the fallout of their senses clashing. Peter’s panic had completely taken over her. He was much stronger than Doreen had ever anticipated. Without her noticing, she had begun to worry her lip. 

“Doreen? Are you-“ Morgan tried to find out, what was troubling her, but Doreen quickly reassured her. Fast enough, Morgan couldn’t press for any answers. 

“I am okay. Don’t worry, Morgan. I mean…I am I just hungry, you know.” Doreen obviously was lying. Despite all the years that had passed, Doreen still was the worst liar to Morgan. A trait she shared with Peter. Currently Morgan had no idea, who was the king of bad lying between the two of them. Let’s just say, they both are not very good at hiding their true intentions.

“Hungry…? Really?” Morgan raised an eyebrow. Sentinel studied her for a moment and decided to mimic that raised eyebrow, even though he actually has no eyebrows. Fortunately for Doreen, in that moment karma came right back at Morgan and her tummy rumbled. 

“Well, someone is. Come on, I have got an idea.” Doreen chuckled and laid her arm around Morgan as they moved down the hallway to the exit. Morgan gave her a look and Doreen returned a wink. They two of them certainly had a lot to talk about over dinner.

* * *

Shaving appeared easy enough with one arm. This might just be the one thing Peter could do successfully right now. Doing his normal routine in the bathroom, made him feel somewhat like a ‘complete’ man. He finished by washing his face with cold water. 

Once the water hit his face, it all came back. How he struggled in the tempest only to realize, he could not reach the surface. He fought the claim of the deep for his body and soul. Trying to shake the feeling of being consumed by the freezing tide, Peter quickly grabbed a towel to dry himself. Out of breath he drifted to ground, leaning against the wardrobe below the sink. 

Seeing his ‘dead’ arm, just disgusted him. More than that, the guy who crippled him, was still out there. Peter was sure, next time he made a move on Morgan, he would be successful. There was no way, he would just stand idly by.

“Karen, give me all the information available on the Iron Shadow.” Peter got back up, seeing an icon for Karen being active on the bathroom mirror. 

“Of course, Peter. Should I also play the ‘Think Tank’-Playlist?” Karen asked and Peter replied with a silent nod. Right now, Peter was focused on getting a special sleeve, designed to monitor the blood pressure and nerve activity in his arm. The doctors had prescribed it, as a way to measure if there was a chance it could become mobile again and if the physical therapy was showing results. Peter wasn’t convinced he would ever use his left hand again to write or do anything with it really. 

Placing the ‘Edith’-glasses over his eyes, he watched Karen compile all the footage and articles regarding the incident with Iron Shadow in virtual space, as he left the bathroom. He put on the first shirt, he found lying around and some sweatpants. 

With the arm back in it’s brace, Peter was done dressing up and focused on the info provided by Karen. He walked down the stairs to the living room, where he paced back and forth. Bright lights from outside the living room window alerted him. Only seconds after, his Spider-Sense sense caught wind of the situation. Despite it only being two Iron Legion units, Peter settled on the couch behind him shocked.

The inhibitor drugs had a tremendous effect on his powers. He felt like a deaf man, trying to filter every instrument composed in a symphony. If the Iron Shadow chose to attack now, he would be nothing more than a meat shield, if anything at all. Slowly, he began to understand how regular people become fearful of heroes abusing their power for their own gain. Why so many demanded restrictions and regulations be put upon them. 

He laid back on the soft cushions while his feet still stayed on the ground. 

“Well...they won’t have to worry about Spider-Man anymore.” Peter mumbled under his breath, while he closed his eyes. His hand reached to put aside the glasses, since Karen was still processing Peter’s request. He wondered why it was taking her so long. Her cache might be clogged up. Once again he put on the glasses to see what Karen had already compiled. 

Almost mockingly, she had placed the Daily Bugle article on top of the results. It probably contained the most mentions of ‘Iron Shadow’ because the Authors of these articles hadn’t accumulated enough acronyms for him yet. Apparently finding those for true evil was much harder, than for a friendly neighbourhood spider. 

For as much as Peter enjoyed the ridiculous word choices the Daily Bugle made from time to time,  this wasn’t about their integrity as a news site. Oh, that was a whole different can of worms. In regards of valid information, there wasn’t much in the article. Only the still images and footage were useful for Peter. 

While reviewing the images, Peter remembered how he had advised two Iron Legion drones to save Morgan from her fall. They were really lucky the units were nearby and showed up on Peter’s HUD at the right moment. 

“That’s it...The drones! They  must have gathered some data!” Peter went wide eyed and pulled up the file trees of said Iron Legion Units.    
  
Access Denied. 

“What the-. Karen?” Peter laid back frustrated and waited for his AI’s response. He rubbed his tired eyes. This has never happened before. 

“It seems someone has changed the master password of these units. A manual overwrite might be required.”  Karen responded and Peter grunted annoyed. That was just great. Now that he can’t access them remotely, he would have to do it physically.

To his dismay, the units were stationed with a police station in downtown Manhattan. That wasn’t the problem itself, but the captain in command was a real pain. As Spiderman, Peter had made acquaintance with him before. Let’s just say he was the type of captain, who would send Spider-Man in his own cell aside from the criminals he just captured. In his eyes vigilanties were just as bad as someone robbing or violating another person. All in all a very pleasant man of the law. 

“Then...overwrite it. I want that data!” Peter got impatient. He usually wasn’t the type to lash out at Karen or anyone else really. However the growing frustrations with his job and the accident, drove him to this extreme. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes. 

During the days in hospital he went over and over the incident. He couldn’t gain the upper hand even once, while facing Iron Shadow. His senses went completely off the rails once, he got close. It all came down to the fear the Ark Reactor sparked inside his mind. 

No, it wasn’t that. 

It was the hollow memory of Tony drawing his last breath. How his life force was extinguished with  the simple flicker of a light. To him, Iron Man had always been this unshakable beacon of hope. Peter was a fool to believe that there wasn’t a fragile soul behind that mask. That Tony wasn’t living through hell in fear of someone like Thanos showing up at his doorstep. 

Tony and the suit were one. And one can’t exist without the other. Was it wrong for Peter to keep Tony’s legacy alive by revitalizing the Iron Legion? He wondered if Tony would be honoured or disturbed by the fact that someone probably reverse engineered the Iron Man suit from the ground up. Despite it being a huge boost to his ego, Tony wouldn’t have let that stand. His technology should only be used for the benefit of people, no longer for their detriment. 

How could Peter ever live up to a man, who’s heart had the power of a thousand suns? 

Peter had no more time to ponder on that, since hear the doorbell ring. Normally he would have registered every step behind his door. Maybe even the elevator door opening. Karen didn’t announce who it was, so he assumed it was just a lost pizza delivery guy. He wondered if he could buy the pizza from him, if it fit his taste. He approached the door, while stretching his toes a little. 

“Yeah?” Peter opened the door. Through the glasses, he stared back at two familiar faces beaming  back at him. 

“Surprise!” Morgan and Doreen exclaimed spreading their arms in a comedic fashion. Peter’s mouth gaped open, at the sight of the huge food basket they had brought. He put the glasses on his forehead and just went to hug Morgan with his one arm. His little sister promptly hugged him back. He leaned down and kissed her head. Doreen smiled at the sight of the two of them united. 

“What a nice surprise!” Peter noticed himself smiling for the first time in days. There was even a hint of a blush upon Peter’s cheeks. Pure glee shone from his hazel eyes. It didn’t take enhanced senses to realize that Doreen had the right idea with bringing Morgan. 

Peter made eye contact with her for a moment and Doreen simply nodded. Things between them were still awkward. Doreen wondered if he would ever bring it up, if she wouldn’t. Doreen assumed he was like most other men and would dodge the topic with all his might. She also understood that he had probably bigger issues now than their relationship...their work-relationship. That’s what it was. 

“That yellow blazer really doesn’t suit you.” Peter commented, noticing Morgan was wearing her school uniform. It consisted of the classical midtown high blazer and a dark-green plaid skirt. The notorious blazer earned them the nickname ‘lemons’, probably because the other schools were still sour over their still ungoing winning streak in the decathlon. 

“I hate it too.” Morgan said throwing her bag aside. Her face quickly changed when she remembered that Sentinel was still in there. Luckily it touched down on the couch. Morgan and Doreen sighed in relief. Sentinel was likely asleep and didn’t notice anything. 

“Come on. It’s not that bad.” Doreen said, getting the food out of the basket. She stood by the kitchen island, where  Morgan sat on. Peter leaned over the far end of the same counter. He was keeping his distance. It might be his way of showing that he wasn’t too comfortable around Doreen. Despite the smile on his face, his mind was still with the imminent threat. 

Morgan shrugged and tossed the blazer over to the couch  on top of her backpack. 

“Urgh...It’s even worse than the lemon pattern dress you wore once. I never told you that but it looked awful.” Morgan commented and Doreen flinched back. She stared at her for a moment in pure awe. 

“Hey! I thought you loved that one! My life is a lie!” Doreen dramatically dropped the veggies onto the counter. They both made serious face at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. Doreen even had to hold her stomach from laughing so hard. 

Peter raised an eyebrow. So the two know each other? To him they seem pretty close. His face morphed into a thrown. 

“You two have some history?” Peter straightened himself again and moved a little closer. If he could, he would have crossed his arms. Unbelievable Morgan had never mentioned Doreen once. Or she did and Peter just didn’t listen. The two look back at him and then at each other. 

“It’s a long story…” Doreen avoided eye contact with Peter. The feeling of betrayal was plastered all over his face. She turned her gaze to Morgan for help. 

“Well...ermm. I wonder if one dinner will be enough to go over everything.” Morgan cleared her throat and almost choked on her glass of water. Doreen closed her eyes. She should have known the topic would come up sooner or later. 

“...Peter doesn’t need to know about all of our...your antics.” Doreen corrected and winked to Morgan who promptly chuckled. Her big sister still had the same elegant mannerisms, she remembered. Peter grunted unimpressed. He hated secrets.

“Doreen used to stay a lot at our place when I was little...when you–” Morgan scratched her cheek thinking. Doreen blushed smiling a little. She still held the time she had spent with Morgan back then close to heart. 

“When I was a pile of dust!?” Peter finished Morgan’s sentence and turned away a little. They barely ever talked about that period of time. Doreen looked to her aside ashamed. She shared so many important memories with Morgan, which were meant for Peter. Of course, it wasn’t her fault, however she felt as if he was robbed by her.

Morgan blinked overwhelmed to hear her brother raise his voice like that. She thrown back at him annoyed. She didn’t understand why the subject still was so touchy for him. She threw her arms into the air in frustration;

“Urgh. I know you are butt hurt right now because of all that stuff, but don’t blame us for it.” Morgan exclaimed puffing her cheeks. Her face turned into a furious red, not much unlike the tomatoes on the counter beside her. 

“I..I am not blaming you. I just wish…” Peter directed his thrown towards the ground this time around. His voice cracked at the last note and Morgan immediately regretted verbally attacking him. Doreen watched their exchange in silence. 

“That things were different? Yeah, me too.” Morgan tilted her head slightly, after she had gotten off the kitchen counter. There was this mutual understanding between them conveyed by the following silence. She went over to comfort Peter with a hug. 

“I am sorry.” Peter mumbled under his breath as he hugged her back. His focus shifted from Morgan to the night skyline of New York outside the window. The determination on his face shifted to agony. The phantom pain, had returned to haunt him. Unlike Morgan, Doreen had caught wind of it immediately. 

Through their embrace Morgan spotted her backpack wiggle on the couch. This only meant one thing. The dragon had awakened from his slumber. Usually Peter should have been the one to notice first, but this time that wasn’t the case. 

He pulled Morgan behind him quickly, shielding him from whatever threat might be lurking inside that bag. To Morgan’s relief Peter didn’t grab a knife from the counter but just a ladle. If only Doreen and she had dropped Sentinel off somewhere else first. 

Morgan held Peter’s good arm so he wouldn’t go on to attack Sentinel, once the lizard was out of the bag. Doreen moved beside Peter and Morgan. Slowly but surely the zipper of the bag opened. First Sentinel’s snout freed itself and Peter tensed up immediately. Probably thinking it was a death drone sent by Iron Shadow. Once Sentinel had freed his head, he yawned and sheepishly turned to look at them. 

“Sentinel!?” Peter’s eyes went wide while two women’s mouths gaped open in utter shock. The robot tilted his head confused over why they were staring like that. Peter put the ladle aside and stepped closer. He should have known Tony would read his notes. However, he would have never thought to see one of his own scrapped ideas look back at him. 

“You two have some history?” Morgan mocked Peter, which caused the three of them to burst into laughter. Sentinel crawled out of the bag. He stretched like a cat. Sentinel jumped back on his feet and trotted across the couch. He climbed onto the back rest and sat there. His curious eyes kept on Peter, whom he didn’t identify as a threat, but as a friend.

“I guess so. I mean, I just doodled the concept in physics class out of boredom. Ned and I had debated over the  feasibility of a real dragon.” Peter said with a wide grin. Morgan looked at him slightly disturbed, while Doreen raised her eyebrows.

“Urgh...Guys. We were into D&D at that time.” Peter turned towards them throwing his arm into the air in defense. Now head completely lost his integrity as any kind of authority figure. That thought didn’t last long, since Peter was too giddy over Sentinel actually being a thing. 

“So, he was your idea?” Doreen concluded, while Peter reached out to touch Sentinel’s head. The small robot tracked his hand with his eyes but let it happen. The awe faded from Peter, when he felt a familiar presence coming from the small robot. His glance fell on Sentinel’s chest, where his main power source sat. 

Just by looking, Peter concluded, that Tony made some changes by placing the main frame inside the Ark Reaktor as well. It basically meant that Sentinel had almost unlimited ways of changing his body. He had ways to evolve. Peter knew he just had to run an analysis on the little fellow. 

“In concept, yeah but I don’t know what crazy modifications Tony added. I just can’t believe it, I am also glad he didn’t go with my color scheme.” Peter chuckled as he rambled. Now that he had Sentinel sitting in front of him. He remembered the horrible colors Ned and he had chosen back then. Let’s just say, red, blue and green is not the most pleasing color scheme to the eye. 

There was a sudden spark back in Peter’s eyes, whenever he geeked out about a piece of tech or Aunt May’s apple pie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh well, Sentinel really isn't good at keeping a low profile. What did you guys think of this chapter? Please leave Kudos and Comments if you liked it :)
> 
> Merry Christmas once again, Pixel :)


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